Congratulations to Superdome manager Doug Thorton (a neighbor of mine whose wife Denise is also a hero in our city for her efforts to rebuild neighborhoods through the Beacon of Hope) and the New Orleans Saints for their triumphant return to the dome. Thank you to the NFL for their support of our city. For a complete story that includes links to videos on what it took to rebuild the dome in 13 months click on http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/25/saints.return.ap/index.html.
Didn’t I hear somewhere that it won’t actually be finished and ready for other use (conventions, etc.) until summer of 2007?
Also, any idea what portion of the $185-$200 million repair cost was FEMA and/or state money? I saw that both were used in the ESPN.com feature on the Superdome re-opening.
I believe that $120 Million came from FEMA. Not sure where the rest is from. They are continuing to work on the inside of the dome, finishing the suites, club rooms, etc.