Quote:http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory...._id=546450

 

The city and Jacksonville Jaguars are proposing $90 million in upgrades to EverBank Field, investments that would replace the facility’s club seating while building an indoor practice facility and amphitheater.

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<p style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:13.6122px;color:rgb(0,0,0);">Under the latest round of improvements, the city and team would split the cost evenly at $45 million each.

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<p style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:13.6122px;color:rgb(0,0,0);">By being introduced Tuesday, it would be on track for final approval Dec. 8, the last council meeting of the year.

<p style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:13.6122px;color:rgb(0,0,0);">The series of upgrades and improvements comprise:

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<p style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:13.6122px;color:rgb(0,0,0);">• Replacing all 11,000 seats in the east and west club sections of the stadium for $25 million. Each side would lose 1,500 seats, bringing the total down to about 8,000, which Mousa said is about the NFL average. Filling the void would be constructed outdoor decks.

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<p style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:13.6122px;color:rgb(0,0,0);">• An indoor FlexField practice facility located along the southern portion of the stadium adjacent to Gator Bowl Boulevard. The site has been used as an entertainment area for years. The new concept, Mousa said, will cost $20 million and provide a multiuse facility owned by the city that can house concerts and other events in addition to the team’s football activities. The Jaguars would manage the facility.

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<p style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:13.6122px;color:rgb(0,0,0);">• An amphitheater, at a cost of $45 million. The facility would be tucked between the practice facility and the stadium. It could accommodate 10,000 people — 5,000 in fixed seating and 5,000 on a berm. Like the practice facility, the city would own this. However, a Jaguars subsidiary, American Thunder, would manage and operate it.

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Thank you for posting. I probably wouldn't have seen the article otherwise, although I'm sure it will get plenty of publicity. Can't wait to see the comments section of the Times-Union and the first post about how hard all this will be to move to London.

 

Anyone have any feel as to how this will be received by the City Council? With the Police/Fire pension mess I wonder if the Council feels it's politically safe to commit such large sums to Shad Khan (which is how it will be presented.) Someone call Ron Littlepage!

 

Also - hope I live long enough to see all this come to fruition. This city hasn't often been quick to jump into a brave new world.

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