It also left the Dome with an uncertain future. “We can’t come up with a long-term solution until we know what the relationship is going to be with the Rams,” said Jim Shrewsbury, a former city aldermanic president and current chairman of the Dome authority board.

For instance, he said, if Kroenke wants any public money for a new stadium here, officials will likely turn to the Dome authority to help with public financing. And any bonds sold to fund a new stadium would, almost as a necessity, also fund the Jones Dome.

But the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission also uses the Dome — it books millions of dollars in conventions every year, many of which use the Dome as additional event space.

So leaders feel they have little choice but to keep the Dome updated.

“We want the America’s Center to be competitive and attractive,” said CVC Chairman Andy Leonard. “We don’t want it to become an outdated facility.”

A run-down stadium means fewer conventions, fewer football fans, less money spent downtown and, correspondingly, fewer tax dollars to spend attracting other conventions, he said.

Jeff Rainford, chief of staff to Mayor Francis Slay, cautioned against overreacting.