The St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission presented a $124 million plan on Wednesday to upgrade the Edward Jones Dome and keep the Rams in town for the foreseeable future.
The package would not use any new public money, and no plan would be presented to the team involving public money unless it went to a vote first. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the Rams have until March 1 to accept or reject the plan, and May 1 to present a counterproposal. Absent a new deal, the Rams could relocate in a little more than three years – on March 1, 2015.
Per the report, the Rams would pay for just more than half of the upgrades to the stadium. A massive scoreboard would be added to the dome. A new entry to the dome would be created, glazed panels to allow in more light would be added, and 1,800 existing seats would be replaced with 1,500 new club seats.
There are concerns that new owner Stan Kroenke, a Missouri native, will move the team in the near future, perhaps to Los Angeles. Kroenke has already agreed to move one regular-season game for the next three seasons to London. Club officials says that has nothing to do with the team’s status in St. Louis, but it is a chance to grow the team’s brand internationally.
Dig in. This could be a long negotiation and we’re just getting started.
Follow me on Twitter: @BradBiggs
Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune
Feb 02, 2012
10:58 AM
Brad,
I give you credit for covering this situation in a fait way, but dude - do some research. The media (especially here in STL) and its irresponsible reporting are largely responsible for the paranoia in town and the trolls in LA overloading our internet boards with wild speculation.
While you correctly noted that Stan is a Missouri native, you incorrectly identifyed him as a "new" owner. He is not new, he has been an owner of this franchise since 1995. He signed on to become an owner on the precondition that the team moved from LA to STL. He has been the leading figure on trying to secure NFL football for STL since 1992 when he was the lead investor for an expansion bid for STL that ultimately went to Jacksonville.
I know you write for "hits" to the story but at least present the entire truth.
Thanks!