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MAYOR WILLIAMS HOLDS RALLY ENCOURAGING COUNCILMEMBERS TO SUPPORT BALLPARK ON THE ANACOSTIA WATERFRONT(Washington, DC) Mayor Anthony A. Williams today held a rally to shore up support for the plan to build a ballpark on the Anacostia Waterfront in Southeast. Mayor Williams was joined by Councilmembers Jack Evans (Ward 1), Sharon Ambrose (Ward 6) and Vincent Orange (Ward 5). He was also joined by several community leaders including Rev. Lionel Edmonds of Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church and Joslyn Williams, president of the Metropolitan Washington Council AFL-CIO. In his remarks during the rally, Mayor Williams echoed recent statements that the deal to build a ballpark near South Capitol Street in Southeast is a good plan for the District. "I want all of you to go see your Councilmembers and urge them to vote 'yes' for baseball," Mayor Williams told the group of several hundred residents and ballpark supporters gathered at Freedom Plaza in Northwest. "Tell them to vote 'yes' to restoring the glory of a forgotten river. Tell them to vote 'yes' to thousands of jobs and $100 million a year in revenue into the city. And tell them to vote 'yes' to investing in the future of our city." Separately today, Mayor Williams responded to a poorly-researched article in the Washington Post, which unfairly implied that the District would face overruns on its ballpark project. The story also omitted information showing that the Washington Nationals contribution to the stadium project was significantly higher than previously reported. Mayor Williams said: "The Post cited cost overruns at ballparks in Seattle, Milwaukee and Arizona. Yet each of those stadiums includes a retractable roof, an expensive and complicated feature. The District's ballpark is much more straightforward. "Besides the Nationals contribution of $20 million toward the ballpark, the team is also paying $5.5 million per year in lease payments. Over the 30-year life of the lease, the $5.5 million annual payment works out to $165 million, a sizeable contribution for any team. Notably, few other teams in Major League Baseball pay as much in rent as the Washington Nationals will have to pay. "The Post also opted not to compare the District to Baltimore's Camden Yards, even though the two ballparks are just 30 minutes apart. In Baltimore, just like in the District, the stadium was funded primarily by the public. "Finally, the Post failed to note that the District's builder, Clark Construction, has a strong track record of delivering beautiful stadiums on time and on budget. Clark built the MCI Center, Fed Ex Field, Camden Yards and Detroit's ballpark - all on time and at budget. In the District, we hope for the same quality work. "When this project is done, we will not only have a unique ballpark- we will have a revitalized neighborhood that will eventually pump millions of dollars into the city's general fund to benefit everyone." |
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