Louisville Magazine is Louisville's city magazine, covering Louisville people, lifestyles, politics, sports, restaurants, entertainment and homes. Includes a monthly calendar of events.
Issue link: https://loumag.epubxp.com/i/891238
masonichomesky.com LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 11.17 29 November 1990 FLASHBACK Mike Mullins, a former farm- equipment mechanic and the go-to guy for Steve Wilson and Laura Lee Brown, owners of Garage Bar (and, oh yeah, the expanding 21c empire). Under the hood, Mullins loosened the heavy stuff (the engine, the drive shaft, the transmission) from moorings to minimize resistance to hood crumple. A gearbox controls the pistons' creeping-forward motion — an eighth of an inch per hour, for 55 hours a week. On the day of installation, the car noses were about a foot apart. If you park yourself in a folding chair and sit patiently for, say, two or three weeks, you may detect a few inches of movement. On the cover: Do we need a new stadium? Rah- rah or nah-nah? Inside: U of L football was outgrowing Cardinal Stadium at the Fairgrounds, and the debate raged: Spend $100 million on a domed facility downtown that could host additional events, $50 million on an open-air stadium to be used almost exclusively for football, or $30 million to renovate Cardinal Stadium? Then-Mayor Jerry Abramson seemed to be on the fence but did say, "Many great communities in America have not relied upon a dome facility to demonstrate their greatness." By 1998, Papa John's Cardinal Stadium had been constructed for $63 million down the street from the Fair- grounds. It underwent a $72 million expansion in 2010 and is currently in the middle of a $63 million expansion. Aaaaaaaaaand we're still talking about stadi- ums. By the time you read this, Metro Council should have voted on a $30 million bond for a 10,000-seat soccer stadium in Butchertown for Louisville City FC, which currently shares Slugger Field with the Bats. Also in the news: The KFC Yum! Center, which opened downtown in 2010 as the home of U of L basketball, has struggled to make enough money to pay off its debt. Officials are attempting to refinance the $690 million con- struction bonds, a process that has become more complicated as the FBI investigates allegations that the men's basketball team violated NCAA rules by paying for players. In that 1990 cover story, one official said, "Personally, I feel it is a very uphill battle to justify a major $100 million or even $75 million project over and above improvements to the zoo, the Museum of History and Science, the waterfront and other things that may be a part of the cultural mix." Outside: Front-page C-J headlines from Novem- ber 1990: "Gay, lesbian teenagers in Louisville seek support"; "McConnell uses tools of incum- bency to increase chances"; "State watched as health plan failed."