Niners could be stuck at the 'Stick

Phillip Matier,Andrew Ross

Stalled negotiations and economic uncertainty now have the San Francisco 49ers eyeing a vote in November rather than June on their proposed $900 million stadium in Santa Clara - a delay that could leave the team stuck at Candlestick Park well into the next decade.

At the very least, team officials acknowledge that the extra five months before a vote means the Niners' hoped-for home near the Great America amusement park probably won't be built by their self-imposed deadline of 2012.

"It looks like the target date will slip," team spokeswoman Lisa Lang said Tuesday.

That would force the 49ers to re-up at Candlestick, where their lease with the city expires after the 2012 season. The Niners have three options to renew after that, but each commits the team to an additional five years.

Candlestick isn't getting any younger. If they're stuck there through 2017, the Niners are going to want some fix-ups.

Already, the team is working up designs for a new club area with premium seating that could be introduced the season after next.

But there may be more to it than that. Lang confirmed that the Niners are looking at the possibility of a major remodel of the 'Stick - an option they had previously rejected as far too costly.

"We are running the numbers again because things have changed," Lang said. It seems that with the economic downturn, rehabbing the stadium might not be as expensive as once thought.

In December, new team President Jed York met with Supervisors Bevan Dufty and Sophie Maxwell and hinted that - depending on the outcome of their efforts in Santa Clara - he might come back to the city in three to six months to talk about a Candlestick rehab.

Dufty said he was under the impression they weren't talking about the kind of massive makeover that Chicago's Soldier Field got, "but something that might be north of $100 million."

Niners could be stuck at the 'Stick....

Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce supports NFL stadium proposal

By Bethania Palma Markus

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce has come out in support of an NFL stadium proposed for Industry.
The chamber's board voted to support the project Jan. 8, largely due to the thousands of jobs the project would bring to the area, a spokesperson said.

"We're viewing everything this year through a lens of job creation and economic growth," said Gwen Oldham, chamber marketing and communications director. "Our board voted to support the project because it will be such a great stimulus to our economy."

Billionaire developer Ed Roski Jr. and his development company, Majestic Realty Co., proposed an $800 million NFL stadium-entertainment complex for a 600-acre plot of land northwest of the 57/60 freeway interchange.

Majestic officials have said the stadium could be built as soon as 2012, depending on whether Roski is able to bring in a team.

Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce supports NFL stadium proposal....

Will new Nets arena be scaled back?

Value engineering and a more traditional design are the order of the day as Bruce Ratner scales back the ambitious Atlantic Yards project, which includes a new arena for the New Jersey Nets.

Reports out of Brooklyn have the $4.1 billion scaled back to the point where engineers are evaluating the design from iconoclast architect Frank Gehry to see if it can be built on a smaller budget. And the first step in the process is reviewing the arena design -- currently estimated to cost close a billion dollars.

Will new Nets arena be scaled back?....

No credible terror threats seen for Super Bowl

By EILEEN SULLIVAN

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. intelligence officials have found no credible threat of terrorist attacks at the Super Bowl scheduled Feb. 1 in Tampa, Fla., but they are still raising security concerns.

A joint FBI and Homeland Security intelligence assessment cautions that Raymond James Stadium, the Super Bowl site, does not have the typical security features of permanently secure buildings and arenas.

The report, obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, says possible attackers could be deterred by the posting of hundreds of visible security officials, barriers and other measures.

Officials are also concerned that terrorists or criminal could impersonate government or military officials because some Florida law enforcement badges and uniforms were stolen in 2008.

No credible terror threats seen for Super Bowl....

Ballpark's Final Tag: $693 million

BY Tim Lemke

Nationals Park already has a season under its belt, but the final touches on the stadium's construction are just wrapping up. And we finally have a total price tag for the project: $693 million.

Remember when it was $535 million? Or $611 million. Or $631 million. Yeah, well that seems like ages ago.

The sports commission is in the process of executing a "close-out' agreement with the stadium construction team, Clark-Hunt-Smoot. Basically, the completion of that agreement means the work is done.

Ballpark's Final Tag: $693 million....