Venue News & Notes: Gang Green Goes Green

New York Jets and Giants fans will be seeing a lot of green this fall, and not because of their expensive seat licenses. The new Meadowlands stadium project, home to both teams beginning in 2010, will feature a host of environmentally friendly materials and construction practices. Those practices include increasing total recycling in the complex by 25%, cutting the stadium’s annual water use by 25%, and utilizing 40,000 tons of recycled steel to build the stadium, among other green initiatives.

With the New York Jets running around in green (and white) uniforms, amid a host of green and sustainable innovations at the new Meadowlands stadium, New York and New Jersey football fans will be seeing a lot of green this fall. When complete, the stadium, which also hosts the New York Giants, will feature environmentally friendly materials and construction practices. The Environmental Protection Agency is lending support to the venue’s construction…

…Sarpy County, NE, officials have announced that the Omaha Royals’ new stadium will be built in Papillion along state Highway 370. Other sites being considered were in nearby La Vista and Bellevue. County officials approved a deal with the Royals in March for a 6,000-seat stadium for the minor-league baseball team. The Class AAA Royals, the top affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, have played at Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium since 1969. Talks began with Sarpy County in recent months after negotiations to move to a new downtown Omaha stadium failed. Rosenblatt Stadium will be torn down after its last season in 2010…

…The American Airlines Arena in Miami this week unveiled the latest technology for delivering live and dynamic billboard advertising. Dubbed MiamiMediaMesh, the LED system covers 3,400 sq. ft. of the arena, serving as a super-size marquee, like those found in Times Square. Made by Germany-based GKD and marketed in the U.S. by Boston-based A2aMedia, the flexible, transparent mesh element can display both still and moving text and full-color video and graphics while hanging permanently on the outside walls of arenas and stadiums. The LED is weatherproof and bright enough for use during the day…

…Everybody loves a winner, which helps explain why the dedication of the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX, drew such a crowd last week. Politicians, business executives, and a university president were among an estimated 1,500 people who turned out for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, further confirmation of the power of the Cowboys — and Arlington’s wisdom in backing the project. It’s already a hit for the city’s ego and economy, with the big payoff still to come…

…The asking price for the 106 acres that Lee County, FL, wants as a site for the Boston Red Sox spring-training stadium is $20 million. County commissioners will be asked to approve the purchase Tuesday. The owner of the land, Watermen-Pinnacle Development, negotiated with county officials through Monday morning, and commissioners received a draft sales agreement around noon on Monday. Watermen-Pinnacle owns 126 acres at the site. The Red Sox have offered to pay $5.5 million, or $275,000 per acre, for the remaining 20 acres of prime outparcels, which front Daniel Parkway.