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Crews at the new Dallas Cowboys stadium have finished the concrete floor where the artificial-turf field, or possibly a basketball court, can be laid.
Currently sitting on the concrete floor is a 75-foot-tall metal frame for the scoreboard. Workers continue to weld pieces together and will begin lifting the frame in mid-December.And officials should find out this week whether the new stadium will host the NCAA men’s basketball Final Four."We’re getting into the crunch time now in the life of the project," said construction manager Jack Hill, adding that it will add workers and shifts in January.Budgets and financing for the stadium are also being finalized.According to a report in Sports Business Journal last week, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was looking to obtain a $350 million loan that would essentially refinance $126 million in auction rate bonds that the team has outstanding on the stadium. Last year, the team had arranged with Banc of America Securities the issuance of up to $475 million in auction rate bonds to finance the stadium. The team had not drawn on the full amount but is looking to refinance those variable interest rate bonds under more favorable terms.Arlington, which also issued variable interest rate bonds for $164 million of the publicly financed portion of the stadium, is also planning to refinance its bonds in the next few weeks, converting them to fixed interest rate bonds.
By the numbers
1,700Workers on site every day100%Amount of the concrete floor for the artificial field that has been poured250Weight in tons of the scoreboard frame
1,700Workers on site every day100%Amount of the concrete floor for the artificial field that has been poured250Weight in tons of the scoreboard frame
ANDREA AHLES, 817-548-5523
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