Owners address Soldier Field construction — but it’s old business

NFL owners approved two Soldier Field renovation projects during the league’s virtual spring meetings — but neither was new construction. The approval was related to financing of the 2015 scoreboard installation and the 2019 videoboard installation at Gate 0 near the Walter Payton and George Halas statues, a source said Wednesday.

Initial social media reports of a vote about the Bears’ stadium project caught the attention of fans, considering that a 326-acre site — Arlington International Racecourse in Arlington Heights — is for sale. The Bears, however, have a lease at Soldier Field through 2033.

The Bears installed seven digital video screens, including high-definition scoreboards in each end zone, inside the lakefront stadium in 2015. Two years ago, the team unveiled statues of their founder and most iconic player ever outside Gate 0, the entrance on the stadium’s south side. Two videoboards were posted along the stadium facade outside them.