Not sure which topic it was talking about who should finance stadiums

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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/22/vikings-wilfs-kick-another-46-1-million-into-stadium-project/

Vikings, Wilfs increase stadium contribution to $526 million

Like any construction project, the actual costs always exceed the budget. When it comes to the Vikings’ new stadium, however, the public contributions won’t be increasing.

Which means that certain bells and/or whistles will have to be dumped — or that someone else will come up with the cash.

So far, the Vikings and the family that owns the franchise have kicked more money into the project. The team has announced that the private contribution have increased to nearly $526 million, up from the original $477 million. Added to the hard-capped $498 million from state and local sources, the stadium has now crossed the $1 billion threshold.

“The Vikings have made a significant contribution to the stadium budget, which allows us to maintain the original design to ensure the stadium is the most iconic, world-class stadium in the country and perhaps the world,” Minnesota Sports Facilities Association chairperson Michele Kelm-Helgen said in a press release. “The team stepping up to make this contribution was instrumental in helping to solve our budget gap.”

“It is critical that the original stadium design unveiled in 2013 is delivered to the public when the new stadium opens in 2016,” Vikings Owner/President Mark Wilf said. “Our goal is to provide the best game day experience possible for our fans and for everyone in Minnesota who uses the stadium. We strongly believed eliminating significant items that contribute to that fan experience was not an option.”

As the construction proceeds, it’s possible that other unforeseen expenses and increases will emerge. It appears that, if/when this happens, the private contributions once again will increase.

 

[Robjr83]

One billion dollars... ...Tammany Hall with the budget and Barone Sanitation with the dumpster contract.

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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/27/snyder-has-started-the-process-of-planning-for-a-new-stadium/

Snyder has “started the process” of planning for a new stadium

Despite being used only 10 times per year for NFL games (plus home postseason contests and, for some, a periodic Super Bowl), NFL stadiums become obsolete in roughly a single generation.

For Washington, where FedEx Field opened in 1997, the time is approaching for a new venue. Owner Daniel Snyder tells CSN Washington that the team has “started the process” of planning for a new home.

“Whether it’s Washington, D.C., whether it’s another stadium in Maryland, whether it’s a stadium in Virginia, we’ve started the process,” Snyder said. “We are going to push forward. We’ve started meeting with architectural firms. We are in the process of developing because it is a long term that you do it.”

Snyder says the new stadium would have a throwback look and feel.

“We’ve already seen some preliminary drawings and I’m going to be very retro with it,” Snyder said. “It’s gonna feel like RFK. It’s gonna move like RFK. I love that, I actually asked architectural firms to do it and they said that they can do it. I said that I think the lower bowl sections are going to want to rock the stadium like the old days.”

Snyder didn’t give a specific timetable for opening a new stadium, but he said, “I’d like to see it sooner than later.” He’d also like to see it host a fairly significant annual event.

“I think this region, not only this town, this region deserves a Super Bowl,” Snyder said. “It ought to be here, it would be a fantastic accomplishment. It’s the biggest sporting event in the globe. It’s the nation’s capital, it’s a no-brainer.”

It’s also a no-brainer that, as Snyder embarks on securing partial public funding (because one of the benefits of being really rich is finding a way to get other people to pay for your stuff), he’ll need to be willing to consider trading the team name for taxpayer money and, possibly, the privilege of hosting a Super Bowl. That way, Snyder can eventually declare victory in a debate that will end either with Snyder voluntarily changing the moniker in exchange for something tangible or involuntarily losing it, without any type of compensation.

 

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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/03/report-raiders-close-in-on-stadium-deal-in-oakland/

Report: Raiders close in on stadium deal in Oakland

So much for San Antonio and Los Angeles. The Raiders could be on the verge of striking a deal to stay put in Oakland.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the team and the city have reached a tentative agreement on the construction of a new home for the Silver and Black.

“I expect it to be executed soon,” attorney Zach Wassrman said. Wasserman represents the developers of Coliseum City, a sports, housing and retail complex that would be constructed near the new venue.

The Chronicle characterizes Raiders owner Mark Davis as having final say over whether the arrangement will proceed.

The stadium would be built with funds generated by the Coliseum City project, resulting in a reduced (and possibly non-existent) financial obligation for taxpayers. However, the public would be on the hook for the $120 million still owed as a result of the O.Co Coliseum expansion that brought the Raiders back to town more than a generation ago.

So where does the $120 million come from?

“That’s a great question that we will probably not say anything about,” a spokesman for Oakland mayor Jean Quan told the Chronicle.

Land also would be transferred from the city at no charge, but the new stadium — expected to cost between $900 million and $1.2 billion — would be paid for separately.

It’s unclear how this arrangement would affect the A’s, who recently signed a 10-year lease to play at a place that will be blown up, sir if/when the deal goes through.

So this one is far from being resolved. But at least it shows that progress has been made to keep the Raiders from leaving town, again.

I didn't see this coming.