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Nationals Park Opens for Community Use, in Different Ways
Nationals Park has already played host to President George W. Bush and the Pope. On May 31, it'll host high school baseball players for the first time.
(Jonathan Newton - Post)
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Unlike the D.C. Classic, tonight's game also will not feature the high-definition scoreboard in center field. The cost, including labor, to operate the scoreboard for the D.C. Classic is $15,240, according to Champ. Additional costs, Champ said, include $8,100 for cleanup and trash removal, $5,720 for security, $4,149 for stadium staff, $1,800 for an ambulance and EMS staff on site, and $1,120 for a grounds crew.
Shapiro said the Nationals "are providing services, but we don't have as much to do with producing the event. We're operating the building for the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission."
The operating costs, which Champ said have been negotiated down from "as high as $55,000," are still being discussed with Nationals ownership.
"The costs are the costs, and we are negotiating them with the Lerners," said Bill Hall, head of D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission's baseball committee. "We have to reach a final cost in the not-too-distant future in order for this to happen," likely by the end of the week.
According to the agreement between the Nationals and the District for the city to finance the construction of the stadium, the Nationals "will provide attractive and meaningful programs designed to keep Major League Baseball games affordable for youth to be distributed through programs operated in partnership with the District of Columbia public schools."
The D.C. Classic is one such program. It will begin at 9:30 a.m. May 31 with the top two D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association teams playing for the public school title. That will be followed by a game pitting two top District private schools, then an all-star game featuring seniors from 22 public and private high schools. The final game of the event matches the public and private school champions.
In the spirit of the D.C. Classic's mission, all spectators 17 and under will be admitted free. Adults will be charged $5.
"I hope the Nationals live up to their end of the agreement," said Frazier O'Leary, Cardozo High School's longtime baseball coach. "I don't think they've done enough yet. We would like to have a lot more of a partnership with the Nationals."
