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Baseball to Seek Arbitration Over D.C. Stadium
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Williams's aides have said they expect to submit a revised lease agreement to the council within the next two weeks.
"We knew the deadline had come and gone but fortunately we're still having good productive talks with Major League Baseball," Vince Morris, a spokesman for Williams, said in an e-mail. "The work we're doing this month will make the ballpark plan even better, and move us closer to having a new stadium for the Nationals to play ball in."
Adrian M. Fenty (D-Ward 4), who has opposed using public funds to build a stadium, said the only way the council would support the lease would be for baseball to contribute more money.
"While no one wants to go to arbitration, the other side is this council is elected by the people of the District of Columbia who overwhelmingly think the deal that has been presented is one-sided," Fenty said. "The only thing that's going to get any real movement on the council is a significant contribution by Major League Baseball."
DuPuy, however, said in an Op-Ed piece in yesterday's Washington Post that the stadium agreement stipulates that the District pay for any cost overruns and that baseball cannot be responsible for those costs because it is not overseeing construction.
DuPuy also said in the column that baseball's experience in other cities has shown that open-air stadiums, as the one in the District would be, can be brought in on budget if the project is well-managed.
City leaders have considered several options to cover potential cost overruns without going into the general fund. One is to sell development rights on land adjacent to the ballpark to the team's new owner or developers. Another is to use a city-controlled Metro fund to help pay for a renovation of the Navy Yard Station.
Cropp and Mark H. Tuohey, chairman of the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission, said they expected the lease deal to be worked out and approved by the council without the need for arbitration.
"They probably believe this is what they have to do," Cropp said of baseball's decision to begin the arbitration process. "We're still trying to work through it. I'm working toward a resolution that would not include arbitration."
