• After receiving a favorable opinion from the General Counsel’s Office on Bay Street bidding procedures, the City should be ready to start construction on the Bay Street Town Center improvements by early July. According to Public Works, construction has to begin in July to finish by the Super Bowl.
• Seems like The Players Championship just finished, but tournament officials are already contacting potential ticket buyers for next year’s event. The price for high end benefactor tickets has been bumped to $8,000, plus tax. However, benefactors at the 2005 TPC will have access to food and drinks in the pavilion starting Monday instead of Thursday and will receive four VIP parking passes instead of three.
• Drivers and their antique cars will arrive today for The Great Race, which will start from the Landing at noon Saturday. Registration and inspection will be from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Alltel Stadium for the drivers, who are staying at the Adam’s Mark Hotel. Cars will begin lining up through downtown at 8:30 Saturday morning with a special ceremony scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Hot rods will be on display at the Landing parking lot from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. A Dodge SRT4 will be given away during the festivities.
• The City may funnel an additional $80,000 into a parking lot project at Alltel Stadium. Partially funded by ad valorum tax revenue, the new money will help cover “tree enhancements.”
• Local homeless enjoyed a Hawaiian luau Tuesday at the Clara White Mission, courtesy of Load King Manufacturing. The company donated a roast suckling pig, chicken, ribs and several other items for the festivities.