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WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Several critical items remain unfinished at Nationals Park less than three weeks before Opening Day, including a deal to shuttle fans from the RFK Stadium parking lots and a policy for the sale of alcoholic beverages at the ballpark.
Opening night at the 41,000-seat Nationals Park is March 30, a nationally televised game against the Atlanta Braves.
While construction is nearly finished, a handful of ancillary issues remain up in the air.
The Nats Express, for example, is advertised by the team as a free ride in a luxury motor coach from RFK’s Lot 8 to the South Capitol Street ballpark, a crucial component of the traffic and parking plan cobbled together for the new park. But the sports commission, which faces a $500,000 shortfall this year, has not yet agreed to the team’s terms.
Gregory McCarthy, Nationals’ director of transportation and planning, told the D.C. Council last month that the team would pay the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission a $215,000 licensing fee for use of the lots, which hold roughly 4,000 vehicles. The Nationals would eventually be reimbursed with non-game day parking revenues generated at the new ballpark.
But officials with the sports commission said Wednesday that the deal was not done.
“We’re still just negotiating the terms for our lots,” said Matthew Cutts, the commission’s chairman. “We’re well along in those talks.”
Chartese Burnette, Nationals’ spokeswoman, said in an e-mail that “there will be FREE parking at RFK and a FREE shuttle to Nationals Park.”
Another complication for RFK parking: Potential conflicts with D.C. United. The most extreme example might be June 29, when United faces off against David Beckham and the L.A. Galaxy as 12:30 p.m., and the Nationals play the Baltimore Orioles an hour later.
As for alcoholic beverages at Nationals Park, the commission has yet to develop a policy for their sale. How many beers can a person buy at a time? What inning must the taps shut down? Who will be responsible for enforcement of alcoholic beverage laws?
Cutts said a policy is being drafted now, and will be place in time for opening night.
mneibauer@dcexaminer.com
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Comments from Examiner Readers
8:46 PM MST on Fri., Jul. 18, 2008 re: "Council considers raising taxes on Nationals tickets"
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2:18 AM MST on Tue., Mar. 18, 2008
re: "No easy access near ballpark for disabled"
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11:32 AM MST on Sat., Mar. 15, 2008
re: "Shuttle service, beer sales among issues still to work out before Opening Day"
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11:34 AM MST on Mon., Mar. 10, 2008
re: "Police: Nearly $2M owed for security at Nats games"
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8:58 AM MST on Mon., Mar. 10, 2008
re: "Police: Nearly $2M owed for security at Nats games"
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7:47 AM MST on Mon., Mar. 10, 2008
re: "Police: Nearly $2M owed for security at Nats games"
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7:06 AM MST on Mon., Mar. 10, 2008
re: "Police: Nearly $2M owed for security at Nats games"
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6:23 AM MST on Mon., Mar. 10, 2008
re: "Police: Nearly $2M owed for security at Nats games"
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9:01 PM MST on Mon., May. 28, 2007
re: "Nationals’ stadium art project at a standstill"
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4:10 PM MST on Mon., May. 28, 2007
re: "Nationals’ stadium art project at a standstill"
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12:17 PM MST on Mon., May. 28, 2007
re: "Nationals’ stadium art project at a standstill"
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5:46 AM MST on Tue., May. 22, 2007
re: "Deal should clear the way for stadium art"
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Examiner Reader said:
Not paying the rent? Kick them out! They are a losing team anyway.
0 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Now how did "progressive, caring" DC happen to forget about the Americans with Disabilities Act which requires that public facility projects consider access for the disabled?
8 agree | 8 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
"The most extreme example might be June 29, when United faces off against David Beckham and the L.A. Galaxy as 12:30 p.m., and the Nationals play the Baltimore Orioles an hour later." well that was some brilliant scheduling there....lets stuff 100,000 people into the area over a two hour span
7 agree | 8 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Considering where the new stadium is, you can bet that the cost of security will skyrocket!!!
8 agree | 7 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
If DC knew that they couldn't afford to pay the police department they shouldn't have never opened up the Stadium. You have so many poor people living in the DC area and all the taxes we citizens have to pay could have been going into better use. we have to pay all this money and we are not going to see where the money is going. Who cares, right.
8 agree | 10 disagree
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Mike Licht said:
Re:$2M owed for security at Nats games -- Since the "quasi-governmental" D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission won't pay the $2 million it owes the Metropolitan Police Department for security at Nats games, why not get those "quasi" Commission members and paid staff out directing traffic on game days? At $55 an hour, it should only take them 36,364 person-hours to work off their debt.
9 agree | 7 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
"Whether the [commission] is paying it or MPD is paying it, it comes out of the same pot,” Mayor Adrian Fenty’s spokeswoman Carrie Brooks said in a statement. WHAT? Good grief, no wonder the city is in so much trouble. Everyone is aware the budget process means nothing in D.C., and that is why money is misspent and missing everywhere, but to come out an officially admit it, wow - good work Brooks.
8 agree | 9 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The city charges baseball $55.00 per hour, the officers are paid their regular hourly rate. For most officers that about $32.00 per hour. What is the city doing with the difference?
8 agree | 9 disagree
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Mike Licht said:
miqcie: Art is good. The DC government should make sure that it is part of the environment throughout our city, and encourage the community cultural groups and gifted DC artists who create it. The stadium is private property, owned by the Lerner family, who can well afford to buy their own art.
292 agree | 315 disagree
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miqcie said:
I'm hopeful that this funding will be restored and is appropriate use of financing for public art. As a denizen of this city, I'd don't mind a part of my tax dollars going to projects like this that are truly community goods.
323 agree | 295 disagree
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Mike Licht said:
The Commission claimed the site-specific art for the private baseball stadium was just being "loaned" to the stadium but still owned by the commission. That is like saying your dental work is on loan from someone else. Public art projects like this are normally paid for by the developer, and the public arts agency gives technical assistance in the project's execution. This poor judgment by the Commission has cost the DC arts community $850,000 in much-needed capital funds.
351 agree | 296 disagree
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Mike Licht said:
Update: The deal is now for a $206,000+ site-specific sculpture to be "loaned" to the stadium by the DC Arts Commission. That is like saying that you "borrow" your dental work, an obvious falsehood. Shame.
356 agree | 350 disagree
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