Renovations Will Be Needed To Attract The Super Bowl
JACKSONVILLE – Is the excitement of the game the same regardless of whether you're sitting in the stands or in the lap of luxury?
Some say that luxury rules and want the city to build more luxury sky boxes at Alltel Stadium.
"It does make our facility nicer and we own it," Mike Weinstein of the Jacksonville Economic Development said. "The City of Jacksonville owns it so it gives us a more valuable facility."
A proposal submitted to the Jacksonville City Council this week includes 70 new luxury seats at Alltel, smaller and somewhat less expensive than those already there, plus a concrete terrace where temporary seating could be added for big crowds like for the Florida/Georgia game.
So what are these additions going to cost? The pricetag is $20 million.
Who pays? Not the taxpayers, according to the architects of the plan, who also happen to be the ones trying to convince the National Football League that Superbowl 2005 should be in Jacksonville.
"It's an opportunity for the Jaguars and the city to make some profit and more than cover the expense of the improvements," said Weinstein. "So it's a win really for everybody, and it also makes our application more attractive to the NFL."
There has been some grumbling, though. A week after voters approved a new tax hike and lots of money to upgrade the city, critics say that it's bad timing to talk about so much new money. But, city officials say that the improvements will pay for themselves, and won't cost taxpayers a dime.
"If what we've got is $20 million worth of improvements being added to our facility at no cost to us, then it sounds like a good deal to me," Jacksonville's Mayor John Delaney said.
This week, the City Council auditor is going over the proposal. The council will wait to hear what he has to say before it decides whether to approve the stadium upgrade. The Superbowl application is due on Nov. 1.
