Meanwhile, a petition drive for a voter referendum on stadium funding is currently under way. If nearly 92,000 signatures of registered Utah voters are collected by April 9, a decision on whether the $35 million in hotel-tax dollars goes to the stadium could be up to voters.

Shortly after those signatures are tabulated on April 24, Sandy plans to send out mailers explaining the stadium funding, which city officials think has been misunderstood. In May, the city will also have available a 30-minute DVD explaining stadium details, said Trina Klinger, a spokeswoman for the city.

Real Salt Lake also thinks people have been misinformed and it has set up a Web site, www.rslstadium.com, which details the public funding and economic and community impact of the stadium. Real's 2007 season starts on April 7, and it will be playing in the University of Utah's Rice Eccles Stadium. Mid-2008, however, the team hopes the Sandy stadium will be open and ready for use.

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E-mail: astowell@desnews.com