Developer Hopes To Raise $90M For Stadium Dome Councilman Says Building Roofless Stadium Was Mistake POSTED: 6:28 pm EST February 14, 2006CLEVELAND -- A local developer is leading the efforts in raising the $90 million it would cost to put a dome on Cleveland Browns Stadium, reported 5 On Your Side's Tony Gaskins.City Councilman Mike Polensik and developer Bob Corna outlined their proposal Tuesday to the listeners of the Mike Trivisono Show on WTAM. The plan would cap the stadium with a state-of-the-art retractable roof."If you look 10 years out and look at the picture, what we're talking about is quite simply, what can you draw with a stadium like that? Well, No. 1 is the Super Bowl," said Corna.Corna said the money could be raised by continuing the tax on cigarettes and alcohol that built Gateway, and also by getting political and civic leaders involved, an essential step in redeveloping the lakefront. "Clearly, we have a 10-year window to figure out how to do this -- how to build a convention center out toward the lakefront, how to attach it to the stadium, and how to create the kind of lakefront we all dreamed about and talked about for a very long time," said Polensek.Polensek said it was a big mistake to build the stadium without a dome, and the city is paying the price by having a lakefront that is largely untapped.Corna believes if the stadium had a roof, the city could have hosted the last Super Bowl." I watched the Super Bowl last week and saw what they could do with a covered stadium, and that facility is used every day of the year. It's constantly used. We built our stadium for 10 days," said Corna.In order to get the ball rolling on this proposal, Corna and Polensek will have to get some important people on their side, including Mayor Frank Jackson, Browns owner Randy Lerner and the Cuyahoga County commissioners. From HEREHere's my 2 cents.Hopefully he fails. Cleveland has enough problems as is. The money should be spent on the education system which is in disarray. Furthermore there is no use for a domed stadium for the Browns. The Browns play in the weather. It is stupid to have a dome. Domes are for pussies!
