Quick fix or new stadium: Can we afford either?

This post will concern itself with the City of Memphis' (Mayor Willie Herenton) call for a new stadium to replace the Liberty Bowl Memorial stadium which was originally built as Memphis Memorial Stadium in 1965 for $3 million. According to recent reports, the Liberty Bowl is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and has been reported to cost $50 million to become within compliance. The other suggestion has been put forth to replace the aging stadium with a new state-of-the-art stadium to the tune of over $200+ million. I have a few questions regarding this proposal/suggestion as put forth by our mayor. First, and no offense intended to anyone with disabilities, but I cannot fathom that it should cost the estimated/reported amount of $50 million to provide adequate compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. How do you justify that amount? Persons with disabilities should and do have the right not to be impeded from attending a stadium event due to their handicap. I would like to see the itemization list for the purported cost of $50 million. Secondly, if a new stadium were to be built, how would it be paid for and how would it be used to maximize its costs versus benefits. The FedEx Forum, which is an incredible facility, has had it share of problems when dealing with the overall cost of the project and not following federal guidelines, which has cost the city a few million dollars. One suggestion would revolve around corporate naming rights. However, to attract a suitable corporate sponsor, it might be prudent to think outside the box. For example, instead of having the naming rights for a 20-year contract, if the corporation put up a sizeable amount of the overall projected costs, then the naming rights would be granted for as long as the stadium is standing (i.e. 30, 40 or 50 years). Also, the stadium could be used for more activities to maximize its profit potential. The University of Memphis Tigers football program is the largest user of the facility and could stand to maximum its ticket sales if it were to schedule teams that typically draw large crowds (i.e. University of Tennessee, Ole Miss, etc.). Also the annual Tennessee State versus Jackson State football game (which typically draws a large crowd) would continue to contribute to the stadium's success. The city could use the stadium to host high school football and soccer playoffs. Also, the city could host an abundance of other activities such as an annual track and field event for high schools &/or colleges. The stadium could play host to more larger crowds of concert veterans such as The Rolling Stones or U2 or other bands that could bring the crowd potential. The stadium could host soccer tournaments much like the 70s were host to the NASL Memphis Rogues professional outdoor soccer team. I went to many of their games and loved it! The stadium could host outdoor X-Games (such as motocross or BMX) or truck and tractor pulls, you know GraveDigger and Bigfoot. I see the biggest beneficiaries of a new stadium being the University of Memphis football program, since they are the main users of the current stadium and stand to improve theie recruiting by offering a state-of-the-art facility to practice and play in, much like the FedEx Forum has done for the University of Memphis' basketball team. Could the immense cost of a new stadium be a curse or a cure for a city that is very sportsminded but not likely to support another stadium while two sit empty and one is still a way off from being paid off. The debate will rage on. More to come.....