http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/othersports/story/C7646B86EF008962862573F I don't think this effects the Collinsville plan, but it is interesting. Nelly and Larry Hughes are looking into building this huge indoor sports complex in Maryland Heights. The reason I brought this up is this was at one time (I think) a possible SSS location. Maybe this is why Maryland Heights didn't want to deal with Cooper. They had this sports complex deal presented and thought it was a better deal. Could you blame them?
I think the difference is that Nelly's group is probably not asking for any public money other than maybe a TIF. Also, once this gets built, I was wondering if it would be a possible offseason training site for the St. Louis MLS team (when it is awarded). Of course the fields would have to be up to FIFA standards, but I think that would be cool, like a soccer version of Rams Park.
Saw this in the paper today. Good job to Nelly and Larry Hughes. Larry Hughes, pride of CBC! I saw him round there a few times when I was an attendee.
I always thought this site would be the perfect place for an MLS complex if the city would agree. Tons of land, good highway access (kind of), very central. I'm pretty sure that the size of the development Cooper is planning in Collinsville would have taked quite a while to get any kind of city approval though.
But they also talk about having full-size softball fields. The impression I got was that it'd be somewhere to play outdoor summer sports during the winter, indoors.
Living in Cleveland and being a Claytonian, I really have a love/hate for Larry. But I always wish him well. He and Justin Tatum gave SLU a great year.
Even better, we just sent him to Chicago. I'm a Cavs fan too. I think Nelly stole my idea though. I put forward the idea of a floating fortress a while back. I can only assume that is what they meant by, "air-supported."