Cotton Bowl Up For $25 Million Of Renovations

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM)  – The last time the more than 80-year-old Cotton Bowl received an influx of money it emerged with 16,000 new seats and upgraded concourses, concessions, restrooms, locker rooms and media areas.

That was in 2008 and cost $57 million ­­ –– on Monday, the City Council's budget and finance committee is being briefed on a $25 million facelift that officials hope will keep the landmark Red River Rivalry game at the historic Fair Park stadium until at least 2020.

Without the upgrades, city leaders fear the Universities of Texas and Oklahoma will pack up and head west to Arlington once the contract with Dallas expires in 2015. At stake is an economic impact to the tune of $33.8 million, which the report says is what out-of-towners spend inside the city that weekend.

The game's been held at the Cotton Bowl since 1929.

The largest improvement bundled with this wave of public dollars will be an upgrade to the stadium's façade –– quoting from the briefing, this'll be an amenity that "will make the stadium more marketable in an ever-growing market of venues."

After the 2008 improvements, the Landmark Commission asked the city's Park and Recreation Department to bring forth a plan and schedule for façade upgrades around each end zone.

The east and west concourses would also get a slew of renovations, including an upgraded concrete floor; areas set aside for temporary concessions; enclosing currently exposed piping and conduits; and better lighting and visibility.

The east and west concession areas would also be renovated. The city also hopes to install club seating under the press box Level 5 overhang and add a new finish-out at Levels 3 and 4 of the press box.

For the media folks, the further renovations would add broadcast TV cabling improvements in the press box, the report says, and a new elevator that'll help "address capacity."

Ideally, the report hopes the city will begin looking for contractors later this month and approve the contracts do the work by May.

The finalized improvements would end up at the feet of the Parks and Recreation board and the City Council in December, with construction beginning in January 2013. Construction would wrap in September 2013, the report says.

Read the full 46-page report here.

KRLD 1080 News's Emily Trube contributed to this report.