saintfan

Gov. Kathleen Blanco on Friday asked Superdome and Convention Center officials to explore the possibility of combining the planned expansion of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center with a new football stadium, creating a sports-meeting complex overlooking the Mississippi River.

Blanco said she still favors renovating the Superdome. But her request puts discussion of a new stadium back at the center of debate, and it may complicate the delayed 524,000-square-foot expansion of the Convention Center.

http://www.nola.com/saints/t-p/index...0942283800.xml

WhoDat

I missed that one. Thanks Saintfan - it\'s an interesting idea. Do you think Blanco is just doing it to throw the Saints a bone and improve her tarnished image after the $15 M payment debacle, or do you think that this is a real possibility?

saintfan

I dunno. I\'m wondering the same thing, but as for me personally, I don\'t trust the \'ol hag. She is a politician afterall. LOL

ScottyRo

We can be sure that if she believes a new stadium will help her politically, she\'ll back it. Sounds more like a bone to me right now though.

themightyduck

Blanco does sound like she\'s doing it for public support, but the idea of a brand new stadium with a possible view of downtown and the riverfront sounds really cool. Plus, if they made a large parking lot, Saints fans could finally enjoy a pastime that\'s been sorely missed at the Dome: TAILGATING!

CheramieIII

I don\'t really care why she is doing it, just as long as it gets done before the next election or with a few million in new orleans and surrounding parishes she won\'t get re-elected.

Puddinhead

Exactly which debacle was that? Foster promised $15 million from unreliable sources which were unable to supply the funds when the time came up. Blanco found the money from other sources and made the full payments on time. No debacle.

As for the Phase IV Convention Center/New Stadium combo..it was pointed out that the parcel of land available for the project is 37 acres. That would be for both the Convention Center and stadium. By contrast, the Superdome currently sits on a 50 acre parcel by itself. The convention industries busiest time in New Orleans is the fall--football season. The busiest day, and \"getaway\" day, for these conventions is Sunday. Unfortunately, this project (upon further study) is likely to turn out to be a dead end. But I don\'t fault them for wanting to at least take a look at it...sometimes a closer look reveals that seemingly insurmountable problems aren\'t really deal-busters, after all. I still think the ideal location is right on the same footprint now covered by the Iberville Projects.

Puddinhead

That\'s one of the drawbacks to the site they\'re speaking of...there\'s little to no room for parking.

WhoDat

Iberville Projects? Are those the ones right off of Tchoupitoulas over by where the casino boats used to be - kind of where they want to expand the convention center now?

I like the ones right on the other side of the river - what are those? Desire? Right at the foot of the bridge. They\'ve already taken the largest building down. Plenty of room for a sprawling complex with plenty of parking and room for other related facilities. Algiers can use the boost anyway.

Puddinhead

No, no....Iberville is the first street parrallel to Canal as you move into the Quarter; if you think of the projects snugged up between Canal and Armstrong Park, between Rampart and Claiborne, that pretty much keeps any development from happening along Rampart or across Rampart from the Quarter...that\'s the Iberville projects. It\'s essentially the same type of site as the current Dome site, only better...right at an Interstate exit, just off a major thoroughfare that boasts many of NO\'s hotels, and practically across the street from the Quarter. And with all of the huge open parking area that was created when the \"temporary casino\" was housed at the Municipal Auditorium just adjacent.

The development across the river is Fischer--but putting the stadium on the West Bank would mean traffic nightmares every gameday for the vast bulk of the fans attending the games. There are fewer fans trying to get from the West Bank to the East for the games now than there would be doing the reverse.