VOL. 132 | NO. 134 | Friday, July 07, 2017
There is no specific plan for an overall redevelopment of the Fairgrounds, but there is some movement toward that on several fronts. And one of the tenants of the Liberty Bowl says it is important to keep in mind the need for parking in all of the talk about changes. (Daily News File/Andrew J. Breig)
For a prime piece of real estate that is supposed to be in a holding pattern, there is a lot of recent activity on and about the Mid-South Fairgrounds. And even when Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium isnt the immediate topic, it is an undeniable presence.
The most visible indication of activity prior to the start of University of Memphis football next month is the construction of the new home for the Grand Carousel at the Childrens Museum of Memphis.
The Liberty Bowl is being prepped for another season of Tigers football with season ticket sales more than healthy given the momentum behind the U of M program.
Meanwhile, the Memphis City Council approved $100,000 in the citys new budget to look at a possible expansion of the Liberty Bowl to do something it hasnt done in 20 years host a concert.
And last month, the group Friends of the Fairgrounds met with the city administration presenting what Friends co-founder Marvin Stockwell described as a draft memorandum of understanding that said we would like to be the planning organization for the Fairgrounds in conjunction with the city.
The administration of Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland has not made any decision on the draft.
But the three tenants of the Liberty Bowl stadium the University of Memphis, the AutoZone Liberty Bowl and the Southern Heritage Classic were all aware of the meeting either before or immediately after it happened.
Southern Heritage Classic founder Fred Jones Jr. said the tenants concerns about parking for their events are rarely taken into account.
Nobody talks about what happens to these football games, he said. The contention is thats only nine times a year. Whats going to be any bigger out at that Fairgrounds than a football game? All of the ideas that theyve had out there have been disruptive of the football game.
Stockwell said the city needs a long-term, good-faith partner to develop the Fairgrounds in accordance with the stakeholder wishes.
The stakeholders Stockwell refers to are the area residents, businesses and homeowners the Friends group has been meeting with regularly for the last year and a half.
We think we have a pretty good read on what the community wants, he said. And we think the city should aim for something that truly lifts all boats. I think this is a unique time in Memphis. I think the Fairgrounds presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something transformative.
To Stockwell and other proponents of what could be a Fairgrounds conservancy, that translates into a move toward other uses on the 175 acres 365 days a year.
Jones says creating space for those year-round activities reduces parking for the football games and creates traffic problems all around the Fairgrounds even for games that fill up only a third of the stadium.
If you impact parking you impact people coming to the stadium, he said. If they cant park and we have no transit ability to move people around, you are going to impact the number of people who are going to come to the stadium. Thats not a threatening thing. Thats just a reality.
He says Ole Miss and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville are able to handle similar capacity and more because they have transportation systems in place like shuttle buses and other options without having to have as much parking as the Liberty Bowl requires.
What do we have? Once you get past 30,000 to 40,000 people, youve got an issue, Jones said. And youve got a bigger issue if it rains.
Stockwell says there is room to carve out some other uses on the property for both locals and tourists.
There is a broader wind in our civic sails. This is a time of renaissance in Memphis. Stockwell said, talking specifically about the momentum from the opening of Crosstown Concourse. Nothing is impossible for Memphis anymore and Memphis is starting to wake up to that.
Jones says he has seen plans come and go specific and general including a very general Wharton administration plan that prompted the city to take up the asphalt for parking between the Mid-South Coliseum and the eastern side of the Libertyland amusement park.
Well guess what? If you go out there today, whatever that plan was it hasnt happened, Jones said. Why disrupt whatever is going on until you have a plan that you are going to be able to execute that you are able to support whats going on mainly at that stadium. That is why Im kind of perturbed about this. We are having the same conversation. Everybody brings a deal to the table and they will compromise parking like its not even necessary.
In addition to the stadium tenants, Childrens Museum of Memphis CEO Dick Hackett has talked about a parking problem on football game days that he too has said would be exacerbated by additional attractions at the Fairgrounds.
At times during the football season, CMOM closes and uses its parking lot to park football fans because patrons of the museum cant get near the museum on game day.
Council member Frank Colvett called for the study, which could take the Liberty Bowls seating from 61,000 to 80,000 seats in the process.
I want Beyonce to come play Memphis, Colvett said in June of a tentative expansion that would be built around meeting the load-in requirements of concert tours of that size.
Back in my day, it was 10 tractor-trailers and that was a huge show, he said of stadium tours into the 1990s and demands now for bigger stages and staging areas to build those platforms.
They cant make money if they cant get the tractor-trailers right there, he said.
Jones says it is premature.
Theres a lot of conversation, he said. But if you are talking about expanding, theres a whole bunch of things that need to happen and we are not doing things to accommodate, not even at this level. Its just not there.
See the original post here:
Fairgrounds Movement Triggers Liberty Bowl Questions - Memphis Daily News
- Information Overload - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Same-Sex Marriage Gains - Iowa, DC and Vermont - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Obama and the Muslim World - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Nordyke - Incorporation of the Second Amendment to Apply to the States - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Obama's First 100 Days - Reclaiming the Constitution* - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Education Reform - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Legalize (and Tax) Vice - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Obama World vs. Cheney World - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- National Rifle Association v. Chicago (McDonald v. Chicago) Oral Arguments* - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Reconciling Liberty and Progressive Government - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Obama in the Middle East - A Respectful, Rational Voice - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Second Amendment Incorporation Update - Seventh Circuit Decision - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Strong versus Weak Judging - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Drawing the Line on the Obama Administration's National Security Practices - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Supreme Court Amicus Brief in McDonald v. Chicago - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- McDonald v. Chicago Amicus Brief - Volokh Conspiracy Link - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Healthcare Reform - Voices of Reason from Senators Wyden & Bennett - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Time to Legalize Drugs - Sensible WaPo Article - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Article in William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal: Rescuing the Fourteenth Amendment Privileges or Immunities Clause - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Just Do It - Obama Needs Backbone for Meaningful Healthcare Reform, a la FDR - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Nordyke v. King Rehearing - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Huge News - Supreme Court Grants Certiorari in McDonald v. Chicago re: Privileges or Immunities - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Obama Needs to Take Stands on Principle - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Kudos to Harry Reid for Including Public Option in Proposed Health Care Bill - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Free Radicals - Individual Efforts Can Change the World - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Destroy the Filibuster - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- McDonald v. Chicago - Petitioner's Brief - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Something on Which We Can All Agree - Less Government in Criminal Justice - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Obama Approach to Governing; Afghanistan Policy - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- McDonald v. Chicago - Law Professors' Amicus Brief - December 15th, 2009 [December 15th, 2009]
- Senate Passes Health Care Insurance Reform - Reflections - December 25th, 2009 [December 25th, 2009]
- "Radicals In Their Own TIme" - Introduction & Selected Excerpts - January 1st, 2010 [January 1st, 2010]
- Terrific WaPo Farewell Column by Ellen Goodman - January 2nd, 2010 [January 2nd, 2010]
- Same-Sex Marriage Case in California - January 20th, 2010 [January 20th, 2010]
- Health Care; Corporate Speech Case - January 23rd, 2010 [January 23rd, 2010]
- McDonald v. Chicago - Essay in Cardozo Law Review de novo Online Journal - January 29th, 2010 [January 29th, 2010]
- Another Response to Citizens United: Remove Supreme Court Appellate Jurisdiction - February 11th, 2010 [February 11th, 2010]
- Olympics Idealism - March 1st, 2010 [March 1st, 2010]
- Framers Believed in Virtuous (ie, Humane) Government - March 21st, 2010 [March 21st, 2010]
- McDonald v. Chicago - Yesterday's Oral Argument - March 22nd, 2010 [March 22nd, 2010]
- Radicals in Their Own Time: Four Hundred Years of Struggle for Liberty and Equal Justice in America - May 21st, 2010 [May 21st, 2010]
- McDonald v. Chicago decision - October 11th, 2010 [October 11th, 2010]
- OpEd on McDonald v Chicago Case - June/July 2010 - October 11th, 2010 [October 11th, 2010]
- New Blog Format - October 11th, 2010 [October 11th, 2010]
- New Book - Radicals in Their Own Time - February 14th, 2011 [February 14th, 2011]
- Liberty Property Trust Hosts First Quarter 2012 Results Conference Call - March 31st, 2012 [March 31st, 2012]
- Liberty Property Trust Announces First Quarter 2012 Results - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- Liberty Energy Announces Creation of Advisory Board and Appointment of Its First Member - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- Liberty Tire Recycling, Keep Atlanta Beautiful and City of Atlanta Tire Commission Join Forces for Large-Scale Tire ... - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- Liberty Bowl set for afternoon kick New Year's Eve - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- Liberty Bowl Announces Date and Time - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- Liberty ship sinking remembered - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- Liberty Union searching for girls basketball coach - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- How to Do a Liberty - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Review: The "Liberty I" Ultra Compact Compound Bow vs. "Razor Edge" and "Slingbow" - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Heavy Rain in Liberty City: Episode 1 (Grand Theft Auto IV Machinima) - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Jordan Page "Liberty" (Acoustic Version) - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty - Cinematic Trailer - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- China 9 Liberty 37 - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Liberty`s Kids: #05 "Midnight Ride" (1/2) - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Madness - The Liberty of Norton Folgate Live - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- I Pledge to Join Young Americans for Liberty - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Steve Vai - Liberty - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- North Liberty fire chief: Email blasting staff was meant to motivate - May 4th, 2012 [May 4th, 2012]
- FCC dismisses Liberty Media request for control of SiriusXM - May 5th, 2012 [May 5th, 2012]
- Liberty FCC Request to Control Sirius XM Radio Rejected - May 5th, 2012 [May 5th, 2012]
- FCC rejects Liberty Media bid for Sirius XM control - May 7th, 2012 [May 7th, 2012]
- Liberty Rocket Targets 2015 - May 10th, 2012 [May 10th, 2012]
- Liberty boosts SiriusXM stake above 45% - May 10th, 2012 [May 10th, 2012]
- One Liberty Properties, Inc. Reports First Quarter 2012 Results - May 10th, 2012 [May 10th, 2012]
- Liberty to boost stake in Sirius XM to 45 pct - May 10th, 2012 [May 10th, 2012]
- ATK Announces Complete Liberty System to Provide Commercial Crew Access - May 10th, 2012 [May 10th, 2012]
- Penn Liberty Wealth Advisors Expands - May 10th, 2012 [May 10th, 2012]
- Romney Woos Evangelicals at Liberty University - May 13th, 2012 [May 13th, 2012]
- Liberty opener moved to MSG due to hockey game - May 13th, 2012 [May 13th, 2012]
- Romney Defends Marriage and Faith in Liberty University Speech - May 13th, 2012 [May 13th, 2012]
- Romney Speaks At Anti-Gay Liberty University Alongside Baptist Billionaire - May 13th, 2012 [May 13th, 2012]
- Liberty Center girls, Archbold boys reign - May 13th, 2012 [May 13th, 2012]
- Romney Courts Christian Conservatives at Liberty U - May 13th, 2012 [May 13th, 2012]