ST. LOUIS — The Dome at America’s Center is getting new turf, an upgrade seen as essential to keeping the building competitive as it nears its 30th birthday.
A year ago, fans watching Mizzou beat Memphis at the Dome .
Now the agency that oversees the facility is spending about $1 million for a fresh batch. Crews began laying out new AstroTurf last month and are expected to finish in the coming weeks. And it looks good under the new LED ceiling lights.
On Wednesday, officials with the United Football League’s Battlehawks, the Dome’s highest-profile tenants, invited media to come take a look.
“This is big for the Battlehawks,†said team executive Brandon Williams. “It’s a statement that St. Louis and football should be synonymous.â€
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It’s also important for efforts to attract more college football games — like the , currently set to be played on the college campuses.
Marc Schreiber, the president of the St. Louis ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Commission, said potential Dome customers have repeatedly asked him about the condition of the turf.
“To be able to affirmatively say it’s been replaced is a positive step forward on this,†Schreiber said.
Employees of AstroTurf of Dalton, Ga., install new turf inside The Dome at America’s Center on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. This is the third field installed at the stadium. It can be rolled up and is stored under the floor when not in use. The stadium has also received new LED lighting.
Dome operations chief Brent Buchanan said Wednesday the old turf was years beyond its expected lifespan.
More is needed to keep the building competitive. A recent report produced for the Regional Convention and ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Complex Authority said the dome needs more than $150 million in repairs and upgrades over the next 10 years to keep up with modern expectations.
LED displays in the stadium bowl are 15 years old and well beyond their usable life. The speaker system is “right on the edge of unusable.†And the elevators and escalators will soon need extensive, costly maintenance to remain safe for patrons.
“We don’t have to compete with ‘Jerry World,’†Schreiber said, referring to the retractable-roof marvel Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones built for his team in 2009. “But we have to have a facility that compels our university partners to want to play here.â€
The Dome authority, which owns the facility, had $88 million in its bank account as of June 30, including $70 million in proceeds from the lawsuit filed against the NFL Rams after the team bolted for Los Angeles.
But that’s all the facility has, and there’s no other guaranteed income in sight. Annual maintenance payments from St. Louis, St. Louis County and the state of Missouri, long the authority’s lifeline, ended earlier this year.
And none of them are publicly offering to send more cash.
In fact, a spokesperson for St. Louis County Executive Sam Page said last month that the county, which has struggled with budget deficits, “has no additional funds to support the Dome.â€
Dome authority board members are looking into alternatives. Chris Saracino, who leads the authority’s Preservation Committee, has said he would like to sell naming rights on the “no-name†facility again.
Financial firm Edward Jones, which paid the Rams to put its name on the dome, took its name off the roof after the team decamped for Los Angeles.
The preservation committee is scheduled to meet and start reviewing the report next week.
Employees of AstroTurf of Dalton, Ga. install a new football field inside the Dome at America’s Center on Sept. 4, 2024. This is the third field installed at the stadium. It rolls and is stored under the floor when not in use. The stadium has also received new LED lighting.
