St. Louis Board of Aldermen Passes Funding For Scottrade Renovations

On Friday night, facing a 10 week adjournment, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen successfully passed a bill approving a $64 million bond purchase designed to refurbish and upgrade Scottrade Center.

In the face of a mayoral race and a bizarre equivocation with an attempt to acquire a Major League Soccer team, the Scottrade renovation plan has been controversial. The team has been encouraging fans to use the hashtag “#OurArena” on social media to display their support.

The bond purchases will not require a public vote, so at least a portion of the renovations proposed by the Blues and Scottrade Center officials are certain to be completed.

Controversy arose this week when Blues minority owner Dave Steward was revealed to have made substantial campaign contributions to Board President Lewis Reed, who is running for mayor.

Reed, who was the original sponsor of the bill, ultimately voted against its passage, citing a “philosophical decision,” before adding that he “one hundred percent” supports the bill that he had just voted against.

The team is expected to seek an additional $70.5 million in funds from the state of Missouri in order to complete further projects.

The last three pages of this document highlight the payment schedule and the planned upgrades. Scottrade Center will receive a new ice production system, an upgraded Clark Street entrance, new seats throughout the arena, upgraded escalators and elevators, a new scoreboard, and new ribbon boards, among many other improvements.