Funds Allocated for Restoration of 2,000 Seats in Coliseum

The Coliseum Commission voted Wednesday to spend $223,450 on temporary repairs to restore the Memorial Coliseum to approximately the state it was in before the Los Angeles Raiders began a luxury box construction project last February, only to abandon it later.

Before the commission funds will be committed, the commissioners said the Raiders will be asked to repair about 2,000 seats and two light standards that were ripped out. If the Raiders, as expected, do not agree to pay for the repairs, the commission-financed work will commence in about two weeks and be finished in about three months.

At its monthly meeting, the commission also received a finance report saying that the Coliseum and adjacent Sports Arena have been losing money over the past two years and may run out of cash reserves by the end of this year.