NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Board of Fair Commissioners is urging Mayor John Cooper to begin demolition to make way for Nashville's Major League Soccer stadium.
Today's board meeting at the fairgrounds featured several items up for discussion, including the MLS stadium. The board voted to write a letter of encouragement to the mayor to begin demolition at the fairgrounds.
One Fair Board member said there is a lack of communication from @JohnCooper4Nash regarding the stadium deal and he hopes that will change.
— Jesse Knutson (@JesseKnutsonNC5) February 11, 2020
Executive director of the Fairgrounds said she met with the Mayor’s Office yesterday and was encouraged by their conversation and believes communication will be improved moving forward.
— Jesse Knutson (@JesseKnutsonNC5) February 11, 2020
This comes after a week of closed-door meetings between the Mayor's Office and Nashville SC.
Over the weekend, Mayor John Cooper wrote an op-ed in The Tennessean, saying in part: "I’m honoring Metro’s commitment to build a stadium. Now, we need a financially sustainable path forward for soccer that enhances and preserves the historical uses of the fairgrounds."
Just hours later, Nashville SC launched a website and social media accounts, Build The Stadium, encouraging the public to sign a petition to move forward with the stadium build. More than 4,000 people have signed on.
The Mayor's Office released a statement, saying they don't understand the purpose of the new website, that Mayor Cooper is committed to soccer’s success in Nashville and looks forward to announcing an agreement.
