ST. LOUIS (AP) — A television station reports that taxpayers have spent more than $1 million simply storing bleachers used when St. Louis hosted the NCAA’s Final Four a decade ago, and they finally may be bound for the scrapyard.
KTVI in St. Louis says that the monthly tab is $13,000 to keep the bleachers in a downtown warehouse.
The St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority, along with the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission, jointly paid $3 million for the bleachers used for the championship at the Edward Jones Dome.
The NCAA now requires host cities to use the NCAA’s own bleachers.
KTVI says officials couldn’t sell the now-obsolete bleachers or find anyone to give them to as a donation, so they’ve retained a company to haul them away for scrap.