Venue News: WeatherBug Provides In-Stadium Alerts to ESPN; TCU Requests Patience from Fans

When extreme or rapidly changing conditions have the potential to impact sports, athletes, and fans, Earth Networks-WeatherBug provides live weather data from sports venues across the country.  Through its recent partnership with ESPN, Earth Networks-WeatherBug will grant the network access to real-time weather conditions, forecasts, alerts, and breaking weather news from weather and camera stations placed at or near the top of sports stadiums or facilities.  Current venues with Earth Networks-WeatherBug include Chicago’s Wrigley Field; Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA; Keeneland Racetrack in Lexington, KY; and Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, MD. Earth Networks-WeatherBug combines local data from a network of 8,000 professional weather stations with information from other sources, such as the National Weather Service (NWS), and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), for the largest source of weather data from around the world…

…With $160 million in renovations underway, TCU officials are requesting patience from fans attending Horned Frogs’ home games this season. While many fans will be getting their first look at the impressive work already completed at Amon G. Carter Stadium, they are cautioned to prepare for a work in progress and a true construction zone. With renovations not scheduled to be complete until the 2012 season opener, the 2011 season could prove to be logistical nightmare for fans, stadium workers, and school personnel. Parking delays and clogged pedestrian lines are expected at the not-yet-ready-for-prime-time stadium, as well as temporary toilets and less variety among the concessions. This season, TCU will play only daytime games. Construction crews will shut down at noon Friday to let game-day staff and TCU personnel begin setup. All nonessential personnel will be asked to depart the stadium in less than two hours after the game is over, in part as a safety measure, and also to allow construction crews the chance to get back to work…

…The Orlando Magic may invest as much as $100 million in a sports and entertainment complex the team wants to build across from the new Amway Center. The project, still in the earliest conceptual stage, could be built on city-owned land at West Church Street and Hughey Avenue in Parramore directly north of the arena. The project would be anchored by the Magic’s own corporate headquarters. The team’s lease at RDV Sportsplex in Maitland expires in 2014, and the 145 Magic employees who work there would move downtown. The mid-rise building could also include a hotel and conference center, along with dining, retail, and entertainment space. Currently, a city parking garage with ground-floor retail shops is on the site and would be torn down, potentially displacing several businesses…

…The Minnesota Vikings may owe $500 million to the proposed new stadium at Arden Hills. According to Governor Mark Dayton, cost escalations could drive the team’s contribution from $407 million to a half-billion dollars, with the Vikings required to pay for any cost overruns. The team has stated that the ultimate cost that the Vikings would owe remains “in negotiations.” Still unresolved is who will pay for improvements to roads surrounding the new stadium, an expense that could also fall to the Vikings.

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