X

9 Takeaways from Las Vegas Raiders Stadium Board Meeting Thursday

Raiders President Marc Badain talks with stadium board chairman Steve Hill before the stadium meeting today. Photo credit: Daniel Clark/LVSportsBiz.com

By ALAN SNEL

LVSportsBiz.com

 

The Raiders/Las Vegas stadium board met Thursday afternoon and here are nine things you should know from the session. The site for the $1.8 billion, 65,000-seat domed stadium is on the west side of Interstate 15, bounded by Polaris Avenue and Russell Road.

 

*

 

  1. Las Vegas is one of five finalists to host a 2019 or 2020 NFL Draft event, Raiders President Marc Badain told the stadium board. Badain also gave a summary of the construction work so far. By the way, other draft host finalists are Denver, Kansas City, Tennessee and Cleveland/Canton.
Raiders stadium site on the west side of Interstate 15. across the interstate from Mandalay Bay.

 

Raiders President Marc Badain during meeting. Photo credit: Daniel Clark/LVSportsBiz.com

 

*

 

2. Community participation is off and running on the Raiders stadium project with 46 percent of the construction site’s work hours being performed by workers who are minorities and women where the Raiders benefits plan goal is 38 percent; and 18 percent of the companies on the project are small businesses from Nevada where the state bill-mandated threshold is 15 percent, according to Lynn Littlejohn of Mortsenson, the general contractor building the Raiders stadium with McCarthy Building Companies.

Participation update.

 

Workforce diversity.

 

*

 

3. Stadium board appointed one of its own members — Ken Evans, Urban Chamber of Commerce president — to chair the stadium community benefits oversight committee. This panel will be a watchdog over the Raiders’ implementation of the team’s community benefits plan.

Stadium board member Ken Evans. Photo credit: Daniel Clark/LVSportsBiz.com

 

LVSportsBiz.com reported early on about Evans’ interest that the companies hired for the project would be inclusive and diverse.

Stadium board member Ken Evans will chair the stadium community benefits oversight committee.

 

During the stadium meeting, Evans said the diversity and small business hiring at the construction site is off to an “excellent start.”

 

*

 

4. Raiders also appointed Peter Guzman, president of the Las Vegas Latin Chamber, to the community benefits plan oversight committee.

Peter Guzman, president of the Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce, has a seat on the community benefits plan oversight committee. Photo credit: Daniel Clark/LVSportsBiz.com

 

Joining Evans and Guzman on the oversight panel are Lynn Littlejohn, director of community affairs for stadium contractor Mortenson; Don Webb, the Raiders stadium chief operating officer; Monica Ford, president of training services non-profit Nevada Partners; Rose Davis, a minority business leader; and Rebecca Fountain, president of KOR Building Group who chaired a committee designed to train local businesses on applying for work at the Raiders stadium. LVSportsBiz.com reported in August about this panel chaired by Fountain.

 

Here is Lynn Littlejohn of stadium builder Mortenson addressing the stadium board. She’s also a member of the community benefits plan oversight committee. Photo credit: Daniel Clark/LVSportsBiz.com

 

Stadium board Tommy White, leader of Laborers 872, was concerned that Evans’ appointment from the stadium authority panel to chair the community benefits plan committee could be a conflict of interest. But a lawyer for the stadium board said during the meeting it was legally OK under state law.

Stadium board member Tommy White was concerned that the appointment of fellow stadium board member Ken Evans to the community benefits plan oversight committee could be a conflict of interest. Photo credit: Daniel Clark/LVSportsBiz.com

 

*

 

5. The Oct. 1 Strip shooting massacre that claimed 58 lives lowered visitorship to the Strip and Las Vegas in the fourth quarter of 2017, so stadium room tax revenues are lower than budgeted amounts. In December, room tax revenues were $2.8 million, down 10.5 percent from the budgeted $3.13 million. Overall, the March to December room tax revenues total is $40.5 million, about 6.1 percent over the $38.16 million that was budgeted. These room tax revenues being collected will shave dollars off the $750 million public subsidy that the Raiders will receive from the state of Nevada.

The Oct. 1 shooting massacre on the Strip has influenced the number visitors to the Strip. The tourist numbers have dropped.

 

*

 

6. Lawyer Mark Arnold, the consulting lawyer to the stadium board, expected the county — on behalf of the stadium authority — to sell bonds to pay for the public share of the stadium cost in May.

 

Las Vegas stadium board lawyer Mark Arnold. Photo credit: Daniel Clark/LVSportsBiz.com

 

*

 

Stadium board consultant Jeremy Aguero. Photo credit: Daniel Clark/LVSportsBiz.com

 

7. The Raiders will pay for the first $100 million of the project. Plus the land costs for the 62-acre site.

 

ADVERTISER                                             ADVERTISER

ADVERTISER

 

 

*

 

8. The major issue that is sticking out is the parking. Clark County code requires the Raiders to come up with 16,000 plus parking spaces. but only 3,000 are available in the actual 62-acre site. Attorney Arnold, working for the stadium board, said the board will be negotiating with the Raiders on any language regarding parking in future development agreements. The Raiders have been eyeing the Bali Hai Golf Club site on the east side of I-15 for parking, but the golf course operation is caught up in a lawsuit between the feds and Clark County.

*

 

9. The next stadium board meeting is March 1 at 9 AM. Note the 9 a.m. start time.

 

*

 

Follow LVSportsBiz.com on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Contact LVSportsBiz.com founder/writer Alan Snel at asnel@LVSportsBiz.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alan Snel: Alan Snel brings decades of sports-business reporting experience to LVSportsBiz.com. Snel covered the business side of sports for the South Florida (Fort Lauderdale) Sun-Sentinel, the Tampa Tribune and Las Vegas Review-Journal. As a city hall beat reporter, Snel also covered stadium deals in Denver and Seattle. In 2000, Snel launched a sport-business website for FoxSports.com called FoxSportsBiz.com. After reporting sports-business for the RJ, Snel wrote hard-hitting stories on the Raiders stadium for the Desert Companion magazine in Las Vegas and The Nevada Independent. Snel is also one of the top bicycle advocates in the country.
Related Post