METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says the state is working on lease extensions with the New Orleans Saints designed to keep the NFL club in the Superdome for up to 30 additional years.
Edwards, who attended Saints training camp on Monday, says lease talks are running in conjunction with plans for “extensive and needed” Superdome renovations.
The Saints moved from Tulane Stadium into the state-owned Superdome in 1975 and the club’s existing lease runs out in 2025.
The dome underwent about $336 million in renovations during the six years after the downtown stadium was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.
Edwards says newly planned renovations would take about four years and that lease talks are centered on an initial 15-year commitment “with framework in place” for an additional 15 years.
The Louisiana State Bond Commission is scheduled to consider approval of about $500 million in financing for the project on Thursday.