The outer shell of the stadium almost is fully enclosed by its surrounding curtain wallALLEGIANT STADIUM
Raiders President Marc Badain said that the glass installation for the new Allegiant Stadium "will finish sometime in the next two weeks," according to Mick Akers of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. The outer shell of the stadium almost is "fully enclosed by its surrounding curtain wall." Installation of the dark, tinted exterior glass wall began last September. The curtain wall is "made up of 2,400 panel sets that weigh up to 3,900 pounds each." Since each of the panel sets is unique, Las Vegas-based facade engineering and curtain-wall design company Enclos "uses 3D modeling to ensure the sets are made to precise measurements." Enclos and the stadium construction team are in "constant communication, allowing crews to know when panel sets will be on site, when they are ready to be installed, where they're stored on site and where work crews can attach the sets in order without complication." Some work "will be left to do on the curtain wall after the panel sets are installed, with light band installation still occurring and other fine tuning and design elements left to do" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 2/27).
PARKING ADVENTURE: The REVIEW-JOURNAL's Akers notes employees working at the venue once it is finished may end up "parking about 2.7 miles away." The Raiders have approached Clark County officials about "using 20 acres of the 100-acre Tropicana Denetion Basin ... for event day employee parking." The allotted land would "accommodate 2,760 parking spots." Badain said that there would be a "shuttle bus system in place to transport employees to and from the stadium on event days." The team would "pay $86,798 per year to lease the land for 34 event days" and would be "charged an additional $2,993 per day if the team uses the lot more than the allotted days" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 2/27).
REAL SAVVY: In Las Vegas, Eli Segall notes the Raiders have sold their Henderson HQ for $191M and "leased it back." Chicago-based Mesirow Financial "purchased the under-construction football facility across from the Henderson Executive Airport and leased it back to the NFL team for 29 years, with seven 10-year extension options." Public records "do not show the Raiders' annual rent." Segall writes the transaction "shows how the NFL team has turned a once-discounted plot of city-owned property into lucrative real estate" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 2/27).
