Details of the St. Louis Rams proposal for the Edward Jones Dome were revealed by Fox 2 in St. Louis on Wednesday night. According to the report, first leaked via Twitter, the team's proposal includes a retractable roof.
Experts cited in the Fox 2 report say that adding a retractable roof to the Dome would require major structural changes, along with a hefty price tag. Estimates predict the potential cost anywhere from $200 to $300 million, just for the roof and retrofitting the Dome.
Needless to say, it figures to carry a higher price tag than the $124 million proposal pitched by the Convention and Visitors Commission. That plan was rejected by the Rams, who then opted to submit their own plan.
A proposal for a new stadium in Atlanta jumped from an estimated $700 million price tag to a $947 million price tag with the inclusion of retractable roof. That plan is still in the initial stages, far from approval.
The VIkings were forced to drop plans for a retractable roof in their new stadium plan, which is currently being debated by a conference committee following approval by the Minnesota House and Senate.
Another precedent may be what happened just across the state when the Kansas City Chiefs renovated Arrowhead Stadium. Voters in Jackson County approved more than $850 million bond issue in 2006 to pay for renovations to Arrowhead and Kaufman Stadium, where the Royals play. A subsequent bond issue to pay for a retractable roof was pulled by the resolution for another bond issue, and the Chiefs settled for a $375 million renovation package. They had to reject a 2015 Super Bowl bid because the stadium lacked a roof. Their roof bid would have covered Kauffman as well.
Perhaps most critical to the Rams' plans is their proposal to pay for renovations to the Dome. That's where the hard sell will have to be made.
The complete proposal from the Rams will be made public on Monday.
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