September 9, 2005
State OKs deal with city and Colts
Stadium construction to start within days
By Michele McNeil
<SCRIPT language=JavaScript><!--document.write(''+'michele.mcneil'+'@'+'indystar.com'+'');//--></SCRIPT>michele.mcneil@indystar.com
Construction will begin within days on a new Colts stadium that will have more luxurious seats, a street-level team store, escalators to whisk spectators up six major levels and an average of one toilet for every 45 fans.
The state board charged with building the $500 million, retractable-roof stadium unanimously approved a key agreement with the city and the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday that will govern how the stadium will be designed and built.
The approval of the development agreement comes after the city reached a deal last week with the Colts on the lease, a separate agreement that ensures the Colts will stay until at least 2034. The city's Capital Improvement Board authorized President Fred Glass to sign the lease and development agreements Thursday.
"It's a big day for the city," said David Frick, chairman of the Indiana Stadium and Convention Center Building Authority.
"The fun part really now begins."
Thursday, the state authority, which has been operating without any money, was able to jumpstart the action with a $40 million loan to cover some construction costs until the project's entire financing is arranged. That will take a $1 billion loan, which would pay for the new stadium and, later, an expansion of the Indiana Convention Center. On Thursday, the authority approved spending more than $15 million on contracts for fencing, excavation and sewer construction work.
The development agreement does not call for a ticket tax -- and makes it almost impossible for the state to impose one. If the state wants to try, the development agreement says, officials have to consult with several groups first, including the Indiana Pacers, the Indianapolis Indians, the city and hospitality groups. Even then, the Colts could break their lease if the ticket tax is imposed, said John Klipsch, executive director of the Indiana Stadium and Convention Center Building Authority.
The 63-page development agreement does everything from spelling out a construction timeline to saying when the Colts will seek an agreement with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles for a specialty team license plate.
The agreement requires a model of an actual stadium suite to be built by June 1 so the Colts could use it for marketing. The stadium seats also must be in place by March 2008, to help the Colts sell tickets.
Though the stadium will be game-ready by the start of the 2008 football season, the finishing touches, such as the last concession stands, are not expected to be complete until February 2009.
Still more details are in the so-called "program" that complements the development agreement -- details such as the number of toilets. The total could be as many as 1,400, but there's no word yet on how many will be designated for each sex.
There will be 10 to 13 escalators and 10 to 12 elevators for fans. The stadium will include a street-level team store and six levels. About 11 percent of the 63,000 seats will be roomier, club-level seats. Luxury suites will number from 140 to 150.
The playing field will be 25 feet below street level.
The stadium will be built with 15,000 tons of steel and 100,000 cubic yards of concrete, measuring up to 1.8 million square feet.
That will make the new stadium twice the size of Conseco Fieldhouse.
-----------------------------------
Bigger and better
The new stadium will be bigger and better than the RCA Dome in many ways. Here are just a few:
? Size: About 12 acres, or 522,720 square feet compared to the RCA Dome's stadium building area of 7.25 acres, or about 315,810 square feet.
? Seats: 63,000 seats, including 7,100 club seats, compared to 57,890 seats in the RCA Dome and about 5,000 club seats.
? Suites: 140 to 150 suites, compared to the RCA Dome's 104.
? Concession stands: 60, compared to the 38 temporary and 26 permanent in the Dome.
? Escalators: 10 to 13, compared to zero.
State OKs deal with city and Colts
Stadium construction to start within days
By Michele McNeil
<SCRIPT language=JavaScript><!--document.write(''+'michele.mcneil'+'@'+'indystar.com'+'');//--></SCRIPT>michele.mcneil@indystar.com
Construction will begin within days on a new Colts stadium that will have more luxurious seats, a street-level team store, escalators to whisk spectators up six major levels and an average of one toilet for every 45 fans.
The state board charged with building the $500 million, retractable-roof stadium unanimously approved a key agreement with the city and the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday that will govern how the stadium will be designed and built.
The approval of the development agreement comes after the city reached a deal last week with the Colts on the lease, a separate agreement that ensures the Colts will stay until at least 2034. The city's Capital Improvement Board authorized President Fred Glass to sign the lease and development agreements Thursday.
"It's a big day for the city," said David Frick, chairman of the Indiana Stadium and Convention Center Building Authority.
"The fun part really now begins."
Thursday, the state authority, which has been operating without any money, was able to jumpstart the action with a $40 million loan to cover some construction costs until the project's entire financing is arranged. That will take a $1 billion loan, which would pay for the new stadium and, later, an expansion of the Indiana Convention Center. On Thursday, the authority approved spending more than $15 million on contracts for fencing, excavation and sewer construction work.
The development agreement does not call for a ticket tax -- and makes it almost impossible for the state to impose one. If the state wants to try, the development agreement says, officials have to consult with several groups first, including the Indiana Pacers, the Indianapolis Indians, the city and hospitality groups. Even then, the Colts could break their lease if the ticket tax is imposed, said John Klipsch, executive director of the Indiana Stadium and Convention Center Building Authority.
The 63-page development agreement does everything from spelling out a construction timeline to saying when the Colts will seek an agreement with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles for a specialty team license plate.
The agreement requires a model of an actual stadium suite to be built by June 1 so the Colts could use it for marketing. The stadium seats also must be in place by March 2008, to help the Colts sell tickets.
Though the stadium will be game-ready by the start of the 2008 football season, the finishing touches, such as the last concession stands, are not expected to be complete until February 2009.
Still more details are in the so-called "program" that complements the development agreement -- details such as the number of toilets. The total could be as many as 1,400, but there's no word yet on how many will be designated for each sex.
There will be 10 to 13 escalators and 10 to 12 elevators for fans. The stadium will include a street-level team store and six levels. About 11 percent of the 63,000 seats will be roomier, club-level seats. Luxury suites will number from 140 to 150.
The playing field will be 25 feet below street level.
The stadium will be built with 15,000 tons of steel and 100,000 cubic yards of concrete, measuring up to 1.8 million square feet.
That will make the new stadium twice the size of Conseco Fieldhouse.
-----------------------------------
Bigger and better
The new stadium will be bigger and better than the RCA Dome in many ways. Here are just a few:
? Size: About 12 acres, or 522,720 square feet compared to the RCA Dome's stadium building area of 7.25 acres, or about 315,810 square feet.
? Seats: 63,000 seats, including 7,100 club seats, compared to 57,890 seats in the RCA Dome and about 5,000 club seats.
? Suites: 140 to 150 suites, compared to the RCA Dome's 104.
? Concession stands: 60, compared to the 38 temporary and 26 permanent in the Dome.
? Escalators: 10 to 13, compared to zero.
