By Bill Beggs Jr. Adding fireworks to the positive Oct. 27th announcement about the $400 million-plus Phase I of Ballpark Village, that very Friday night the St. Louis Cardinals won their first World Series title in 24 years. Go crazy folks! Over the past 10 months, the RCGA has been working with The Cordish Co. (the nation’s largest developer of entertainment districts and concepts) and the City of St. Louis to bring Ballpark Village to fruition. Pending approval of a formal development agreement and the concurrence of additional local and state authorities, Phase I construction could begin next spring, with anticipated completion in spring 2009. Officials project Ballpark Village to not only bring millions more destination visitors to the region, but also generate tens of millions of dollars of new annual tax revenues in expanded private investment and new jobs. According to the economic impact analysis by Bryan Bezold, the RCGA’s chief economist, Phase I will provide $273 million in annual economic benefit. Meanwhile, Phase I construction will generate a further economic impact of $724 million. From an employment standpoint, the first phase will have a total impact of 3,040 permanent jobs, with another 3,000 construction jobs throughout the course of development. Projected net benefit to the City alone is $291 million, with $142 million to the St. Louis Public Schools. When Phase I is complete, Bezold projects that: - Ballpark Village businesses will employ 1,969 people - Those jobs will support another 1,070 jobs regionally - Annual economic impact will be approximately $273 million Cordish estimates that direct benefits to the City of Phase I will include: - Additional $291 million in new tax revenue over the next 40 years - Additional $142 million in new tax revenue for St. Louis Public Schools After construction, ongoing commercial operations will also have significant impact: Phase I construction will support approximately 1,600 jobs; those will support 1,400 jobs elsewhere, for a total employment impact of some 3,000 jobs.

December 2006 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hugh Grant/Greg Boyce William Simon Peter Max: 2006 Olympic Poster St. John’s Heart Hospital - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.stlrcga.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.technologygateway.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Ballpark Village Phase I Magondie (Gonzo) Staples Gerardo (Rocky) Owens James Murphy Jr. Vin de Set