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ST. LOUIS — The nearly 30-year-old Dome at America’s Center could be in line for some improvements, including a new turf and cooling system.

With more than $70 million in Rams settlement money sitting in its account, the body that owns the Dome at America’s Center is beginning to think about the facility’s needs and just how far that money will go.

A board committee of the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority (RSA) on Monday discussed making investments in the sound system, lighting, cooling equipment and turf — and even freshening up the exterior visible from Interstate 70 with a new logo or sponsorship. But first, board members want an updated formal assessment of the Dome’s capital needs and the condition of the facility, which became the home of the NFL’s Rams starting in 1995.

The RSA’s share of Rams settlement money — it split the $519 million with ºüÀêÊÓƵ and ºüÀêÊÓƵ County — may be all the facility has for repairs through its remaining useful life. An agreement with the three governments that financed the structure, ºüÀêÊÓƵ, ºüÀêÊÓƵ County and the state of Missouri, provides $4 million annually for Dome maintenance. But it expires next year.

“We need to have some sort of idea how long the life of the facility is so we have some idea of how long we need to spread this money out,� RSA board member Joseph Blanner said Monday.

Officials from the Convention and Visitors Commission, which operates the downtown convention center and the attached Dome, briefed the board on investments that could help them market the Dome for events. But CVC Director Kitty Ratcliffe said “customer experience� and “aesthetic� improvements her organization has wanted for years — such as better access between the two facilities estimated to cost in excess of $30 million — will depend on other investments the Dome will “need to have.�

The Dome already has events booked as far out as 2030, Ratcliffe said.

“Very quickly, we are needing to be able to look beyond 2030, and we don’t have a plan for that,� she said.

ºüÀêÊÓƵ Mayor Tishaura O. Jones has in the past brushed aside calls from some to demolish the Dome, and the RSA board signaled it wants to maintain the facility to attract conventions and other events that need the large space. Ratcliffe and others say the Dome gives ºüÀêÊÓƵ a unique niche for certain conventions and events that other cities can’t match.

“There’s not a facility in the Midwest that can hold 60,000 people under a roof,� said RSA board member Chris Saracino.

“I do think it’s our responsibility to keep this building relevant,� added board member Dave Spence.

Spence mentioned criticism about the condition of the playing field turf during the recent Mizzou game against Memphis. Replacing it would cost about $1.5 million, he said. Before investing in new football turf, Ratcliffe said it may make sense to wait and see how the potential merger of spring football leagues the XFL and USFL shakes out. ºüÀêÊÓƵ should keep the Battlehawks, who play in the Dome, or another team as long as the two leagues stay in business, she said.

“We were the most successful market for them,� Ratcliffe said of the XFL.

Ultimately, the RSA asked Ratcliffe’s office to contact the vendor that performed a formal study of the Dome’s capital needs several years ago to see about an update. Brian McMurtry, the RSA employee in charge of maintenance, suggested the organization may want to lobby for continuing support from the city, county and state.

“We know the problems,� he said of the Dome. “I can tell you $70 million isn’t enough to fix ’em.�