Kentucky Jet Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?...ZWVFRX l5Mw== Stadium roof would cost state $421M Tuesday, July 24, 2007 By JOHN BRENNAN STAFF WRITER State taxpayers would have to shell out $421 million to construct a retractable roof on the new Meadowlands football stadium -- about twice as much as previous estimates -- according to a report by consultants for the New York Giants and Jets. And for that price, fans would receive "weather protection but not climate control," meaning the roof would keep them dry, but the stadium would not have heat or air conditioning. The roof also wouldn't be built until after the stadium's inaugural 2010 season, so it would not be fully integrated into the facility's design. Both the Giants and Jets refuse to help pay for a roof that the teams say would provide them little economic benefit. The report -- which cost taxpayers $169,598.53 -- could be the death knell for a roof proposal once touted as a way to attract Super Bowls and other major national events to North Jersey. The analysis was first commissioned last year, even though Governor Corzine backed off his push for a retractable roof in March 2006. Carl Goldberg, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority chairman, said Monday that it would "not be accurate" to say the state already has abandoned plans for a roof. "While a lot of numbers have been bandied about before this, it wasn't backed by much real research," Goldberg said. "Considering the cost of the state's potential investment, it seemed prudent to do this kind of report." Goldberg said he was awaiting analysis by sports authority executives before commenting on the likelihood of the state moving forward. He may not be able to wait very long, however -- the report concludes that the state would have to commit to $62 million in upfront costs by Oct. 1, or face the risk of even higher costs down the road. The five engineering and design firms that authored the report, including Tishman Construction Company of New York, also found that the state would face $18 million in annual operating expenses if the roof were built. The construction of a climate-controlled roof, meanwhile, could cost almost twice as much -- because of fire protection; heat, ventilation and air-conditioning systems and other considerations, according to the report. The Jets and Giants began driving piles at the new stadium site -- slightly north and east of Giants Stadium -- several months ago. On Thursday, the sports authority board approved a resolution authorizing continued work at the site even though the long-delayed exterior design plan has yet to be approved. In exchange, the teams surrendered their right to retain a "state-of-the-art" clause in their lease agreements with the state in the highly unlikely event of a collapse of plans for a new stadium. The clause would have required the state to keep Giants Stadium in line with innovations at other stadiums nationwide and could have cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. The agreement will allow the teams to begin "going vertical" -- erecting steel at the site -- as soon as next month. "We also wanted them to be in a position to obtain their financing for construction, while they are refining the last details of the design," Goldberg said. "We still haven't given up our authority to approve the final exterior." A spokeswoman for Governor Corzine said it would be "premature" to comment on the report, while a representative for the stadium joint venture did not return a call seeking comment. Sports authority Vice Chairman Joseph Buckelew expressed his desire at last week's board meeting to Meadowlands Xanadu executive Larry Siegel that the Xanadu and football stadium designs be coordinated. Siegel said he understood the concerns. "We'd like it to be that when you look at [the sports complex], it looks like one big master plan rather than two separate things done without any discussion," Siegel said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BwanaZulia Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 How can they be driving piles and still not released a full design spec? Strange. BZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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