D.C. Council Insists on Own Stadium Cost Cap

The council met for more than two hours yesterday behind closed doors with Peter C. B. Bynoe, a consultant retained last week from DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary. Although Williams had submitted documentation last week that he said capped the ballpark costs, Bynoe told council members that the plan contained potential loopholes, members said.

Under Williams's plan, the city agreed to a "guaranteed maximum price" contract with the three companies that will build the stadium: Clark Construction Group, Hunt Construction Group and Smoot Construction. But Bynoe said the price could grow if the city were to issue change orders that alter designs during the construction process.

"We're trying to determine how we can effectuate a cap that has real meaning," said Vincent C. Gray (D-Ward 7), who is considered a swing vote among mayoral aides. "We want to approve our own cap and let them conform the lease to that."

David A. Catania (I-At Large) said the cap offered by the mayor "will just postpone the day of reckoning until the true costs are known. This is not a cap on the costs but an accounting sleight of hand."

It was unclear last night whether Major League Baseball or the construction companies would agree to the terms created by the council. The council will hold a regularly scheduled private breakfast meeting today during which more details could be discussed before the public legislative session. Several messages left with baseball officials were not returned last night.

Cropp appeared determined to put the lease to a vote. During the council's closed-door meeting, which grew louder as it progressed, Cropp could be heard admonishing her colleagues.

"I'm sick of this," she told them. "Every time we move somewhere, you keep adding something else. I'm sick of it. I want you people to either vote it up or vote it down."

Asked about her stance after the meeting, Cropp said: "We need to do something. We're getting to the point where if we do not act, the council is adding to the potential cost overruns."

The day began well for the Williams administration when it was revealed that President Bush's federal budget included $20 million to renovate the Navy Yard Metro Station, which needs to be expanded to handle the crowds expected for games at the new stadium. Council members had been concerned about whether the city would be forced to pay the expansion.

But that victory for the mayor was quickly overshadowed by the council's meeting in the late afternoon.

"There is a lot the mayor has not delivered," said Kwame R. Brown (D-At Large), another swing vote. "There's a lot of work left to be done."