Venue News: Islanders’ Arena on Ballot; Hope Alive for Citrus Bowl

Nassau County, NY, Executive Edward Mangano signed off on a county-legislature bill that officially set Aug. 1 as the date for the vote on a referendum to build a new arena at the site of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. If it passes, Nassau County would spend up to $400 million towards the project and would ensure that the NHL’s New York Islanders remain in Uniondale through 2045. The team’s current lease expires in 2015…

…Long-awaited renovations on the Florida Citrus Bowl stadium could be on the horizon. A rebound in tourism in the Orlando area has opened the door to construction of a downtown performing-arts center. According to the Orlando Sentinel, if tourism continues to recover, money could start flowing to the aging stadium as soon as 2015 — far sooner than previously predicted. The 75-year-old stadium currently has no resident football team but is home to the Orlando City soccer club and numerous Bowl games including the Capital One Bowl, the Champs Sports Bowl, and the Florida Classic…

…LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas City, KS, Major League Soccer’s newest site, is scheduled to open its doors for the first time. Sporting Kansas City will play the $200 million stadium’s inaugural game against the Chicago Fire on June 9 at 9 p.m. CT., 16 months after construction began. Boasting a soccer-seating capacity of 18,500, it is Sporting Kansas City’s third home: the team played in Arrowhead Stadium from 1996 to 2007 and in CommunityAmerica Ballpark from 2008 until now…

… Advanced Electronic Designs is designing the new scoreboard and video screen that will be added as part of renovations to Montana State University’s Bobcat Stadium. The company, which has developed screens for Times Square in New York City, is based in Bozeman, MT, and many of its employees are Montana State alums. The scoreboard will make its debut when the renovated stadium hosts its first football game, on Sept. 10…

…Audio-video–integration company Pro Media/UltraSound has completed the installation of a large EAW loudspeaker system at Rimrock Auto Arena, which is located within the MetraPark multifacility events campus in Billings, MT. The EAW AX Series speakers, SB Series large-format subwoofers, and CIS Series ceiling speakers are part of a multimillion-dollar total refit of the 12,000-seat arena, which was badly damaged by a tornado in June 2010.