Windfall from NFL settlement won't change St. Louis convention center expansion plan, Mayor Jones

[TexasTowelie]

Windfall from NFL settlement won’t change St. Louis convention center expansion plan, Mayor Jones says


ST. LOUIS — The Dome at America’s Center is a “unique” asset that will help downtown St. Louis continue to attract conventions and events, Mayor Tishaura O. Jones says, providing a vote of confidence for a 26-year-old stadium some say may not be worth the cost of maintenance without an NFL team.

The mayor’s comments come as the board that owns the Dome at America’s Center is set to receive a windfall from the Rams relocation lawsuit settlement — a roughly $500 million check split between St. Louis, St. Louis County and the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority that owns the Dome.

Jones, in a Monday interview, said last week’s $790 million settlement with the NFL and Rams over the team’s 2016 relocation to Los Angeles has not changed the city’s position on the convention center project. Prominent and politically connected businessman Bob Clark has suggested the convention center be redesigned and the attached Dome demolished.

“No, that’s not a conversation I’m willing to have,” Jones said when asked whether the Clayco founder and chairman’s recent campaign for a larger, redesigned convention center expansion might gain traction following the Rams settlement. “We’ve already started down the process for (construction) bids ... so that process should continue.”

Read more: https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/windfall-from-nfl-settlement-won-t-change-st-louis-convention-center-expansion-plan-mayor-jones/article_d6820820-54ea-5d02-825d-1aca7fcf3938.html