City gets realistic about building a stadium

Checking what might be characterized as unbridled local enthusiasm for a bid to host the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup championship, city staff has put the possibility of building a stadium in more measured terms: make sure a stadium fits the city’s long-term recreation and facility needs, says staffer Doug Rafuse. “We need to have a business case,” he says. “That doesn’t mean a stadium pays for itself, but it means we’ll know going into this there’s going to be an annual cost, and what that cost is.” A staff report to council recommends figuring out what kind of stadium the public wants and what the cost of running such a facility would be, before committing to chasing the FIFA bid. Council thought that was a good idea Tuesday, so approved $100,000 to do just that.