Stark County Port Authority’s governing board gave unanimous approval to a preliminary agreement outlining the first phase of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Village, IndeOnline.com reports. The plans include an $80 million reconstruction of the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, the conversion of Don Scott field into youth football fields, and improvements to McKinley High School’s parking lot. The agreement states the Canton City School District “will lease the stadium, field and parking lot to the Port Authority once a new law that gives the school district the authority to do so takes effect on Sept. 30.” In turn, the Port Authority will lease those properties to HOF Village LLC, the construction agent for the project. “The reason we needed to get this in place now is because they needed to get started in order to meet the deadlines to have (the first phase) completed prior to next year’s (Hall of Fame) enshrinement,” said Sam Simmerman, an attorney with Krugliak Wilkin Griffiths & Dougherty, one of three law firms the Port Authority has retained for the project. The resolution states that the Port Authority may issue revenue bonds to finance the project, but did not outline specifics. Simmerman said those details will “be fleshed out in the final document,” which the Port Authority plans to consider later this month. For more, read the full article.
Football Hall of Fame Village’s first phase plans approved
