"The House That Doak Built" Might Expand
Posted: Mon Dec 05, 2005 1:52 pmCotton Bowl proposal unveiled
12:22 PM CST on Monday, December 5, 2005
By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News
Dallas' Cotton Bowl stadium would expand by more than 16,000 seats and realize a bevy of structural improvements under a renovation proposal municipal government staff plans to present to the City Council later today.
The nearly $50 million project would increase the 75-year-old facility's capacity to 92,107 seats and call for the construction of new premium seating areas, restrooms, concession stands, a scoreboard and video board and sound system, according to the 34-page proposal document.
A sale of stadium naming rights would fund most or all the first of two project phases. That initial phase is estimated to cost $19 million and be completed by late next year, according to the proposal.
The second phase would be funded through a city bond program and include the creation of new media and VIP facilities. The city would also replace Cotton Bowl's current seats, add new lighting and upgrade utilities.
An expanded upper deck wrapping around the Cotton Bowl's end zones would constitute the additional seating, the proposal indicates.
The Cotton Bowl, which this city owns, plays host to three annual college football games -- Texas-Oklahoma, Prairie View-Grambling and the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic -- as well at other sporting and entertainment events, including soccer matches and concerts. The stadium is located in Fair Park, immediately southeast of downtown.
But unless Dallas receives long-term commitments from college football teams that play annually at the stadium, "then we won't upgrade the Cotton Bowl," Mayor Laura Miller said.
Negotiations among Dallas, Texas and OU are, however, "going very well ... I'm very optimistic," Ms. Miller said. To this end, the mayor said she expects an announcement in January.
"We won't lose it. We're not going to lose it," Ms. Miller said of the Texas-Oklahoma game, played annually during the Texas State Fair.
Officials at both UT and OU have pressured the city to make improvements, and have threatened to switch the decades-old rivalry to a home-and-home series if changes are not made.
Ms. Miller previously said she hopes the city's efforts would compel Texas and Oklahoma to make a 10-year commitment to Dallas. Each time rumors have surfaced about the game moving to a home-and-home series, the city has offered financial perks and minor modifications to the Cotton Bowl, and the schools have agreed to short-term contracts.
Texas and Oklahoma are committed to play in Dallas through at least 2007. So far, the schools' athletic directors have shown little interest in long-term contracts.
Dallas Morning News reporter Colleen McCain Nelson contributed to this report.
12:22 PM CST on Monday, December 5, 2005
By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News
Dallas' Cotton Bowl stadium would expand by more than 16,000 seats and realize a bevy of structural improvements under a renovation proposal municipal government staff plans to present to the City Council later today.
The nearly $50 million project would increase the 75-year-old facility's capacity to 92,107 seats and call for the construction of new premium seating areas, restrooms, concession stands, a scoreboard and video board and sound system, according to the 34-page proposal document.
A sale of stadium naming rights would fund most or all the first of two project phases. That initial phase is estimated to cost $19 million and be completed by late next year, according to the proposal.
The second phase would be funded through a city bond program and include the creation of new media and VIP facilities. The city would also replace Cotton Bowl's current seats, add new lighting and upgrade utilities.
An expanded upper deck wrapping around the Cotton Bowl's end zones would constitute the additional seating, the proposal indicates.
The Cotton Bowl, which this city owns, plays host to three annual college football games -- Texas-Oklahoma, Prairie View-Grambling and the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic -- as well at other sporting and entertainment events, including soccer matches and concerts. The stadium is located in Fair Park, immediately southeast of downtown.
But unless Dallas receives long-term commitments from college football teams that play annually at the stadium, "then we won't upgrade the Cotton Bowl," Mayor Laura Miller said.
Negotiations among Dallas, Texas and OU are, however, "going very well ... I'm very optimistic," Ms. Miller said. To this end, the mayor said she expects an announcement in January.
"We won't lose it. We're not going to lose it," Ms. Miller said of the Texas-Oklahoma game, played annually during the Texas State Fair.
Officials at both UT and OU have pressured the city to make improvements, and have threatened to switch the decades-old rivalry to a home-and-home series if changes are not made.
Ms. Miller previously said she hopes the city's efforts would compel Texas and Oklahoma to make a 10-year commitment to Dallas. Each time rumors have surfaced about the game moving to a home-and-home series, the city has offered financial perks and minor modifications to the Cotton Bowl, and the schools have agreed to short-term contracts.
Texas and Oklahoma are committed to play in Dallas through at least 2007. So far, the schools' athletic directors have shown little interest in long-term contracts.
Dallas Morning News reporter Colleen McCain Nelson contributed to this report.