Venue News and Notes: Dems, Gustav Pack a Punch

...It took construction crews six weeks to turn Denver’s Pepsi Center into the home of the Democratic National Convention, but they have just two weeks to turn it back into an arena. More than 200 miles of cable have to be pulled out, among other work to be done...

 

... Hurricane Gustav, packing the biggest punch of wind and rain of any storm to hit the capital city since Hurricane Betsy in 1965, significantly damaged LSU’s Tiger Stadium and postponed Saturday's LSU football game against Troy...

 

...The Jets and the Giants are negotiating with Allianz, the German-based financial services giant, to buy the naming rights to their new stadium. If the deal is completed, it will probably be for at least 30 years and for an estimated $25 million or more annually, which the teams would split...

 

...It may be only a matter of time before potential developers descend in earnest on Pittsburgh's Uptown neighborhood near the construction site of the Penguins’ new $290 million arena. The Uptown area is home to Duquesne University, which recently completed the $30 million, 126,000-square foot Power Center on Forbes Avenue, one block from the new arena site...

 

...At two public sessions at Santa Clara City Hall this week, planners working on the Environmental Impact Report for the proposed 49ers city-owned stadium will take suggestions from residents of Santa Clara and neighboring cities, government agencies and other interested groups...

 

...Keystone Sports and Entertainment, the ownership group planning to start fielding a Major League Soccer team in 2010, has picked T.N. Ward to build the $115 million multiuse stadium and entertainment complex planned for Chester, Pa....

 

... The Montreal Canadiens have included a 2009 game at the outdoor Olympic Stadium as one of their centennial projects, though the match is far from being confirmed...

 

... Die-hard supporters of a new downtown arena in Louisville, Ky., persevered against a stingy credit market as planners secured nearly $350 million in bond financing for a 22,000-seat venue that will become an eye-catching attraction along Louisville's riverfront...

 

... A committee of 11 people has been chosen to help find a possible location for a new baseball stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays. The committee was suggested after the Rays in June abandoned plans to build a $450 million stadium on the downtown St. Petersburg waterfront...

 

...The Phoenix Suns plan to use solar panels for power at the US Airways Center, becoming one of only a handful of professional sports teams that get a portion of their energy from renewable sources like sun or wind...

 

... The University of Illinois will raise the curtain Saturday on a renovated Memorial Stadium after adding $121 million worth of flash and polish to the 85-year-old home of Illini football...

... When the University of Hawaii Warriors football season starts this year at Aloha Stadium, spectators can expect to see some ongoing changes, as the 33-year-old facility is getting an $11M makeover...

...A group of Washington State University fans has launched a campaign to try to stop tax dollars from helping to pay for the University of Washington’s $300 million stadium overhaul. Through an e-mail campaign and fan sites, they’re trying to answer the Huskies' request with a chorus of Cougar "No"s...

... Auburn University has broken ground on a new $90 million facility that will host the men’s and women’s basketball teams for games, practices, weight-lifting and meetings. The arena is currently without a name...

... Liverpool, England’s soccer team has blamed “global market conditions” after announcing that work on its new stadium has been delayed yet again. The $800 million project at Stanley Park has suffered another setback as the club's co-owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, apparently do not have the required funds...