With mayor Anthony Williams finally submitting a revised District of Columbia baseball stadium lease, it finally seems that the Washington Nationals will have a new baseball stadium to play in by the year 2008. The revised plan has also put to rest some of the issues brought forth by D.C. City Council Chairwoman Linda Cropp, former mayor Marion Barry, Adrian Fenty, and other members of the City Council. Some of the provisions that helped get the lease to the Council include:
- A cap on the total construction costs of the ballpark. ( Last estimated at $667 million dollars)
- D.C. residents will not be taxed to help the costs of the ballpark.
- The District may also use property on the ballpark site for private development.
- Major League Baseball agrees to increase the number of free tickets given to D.C. youth from 8,000 to 10,000 per year.
- Major League Baseball agrees to help create a new youth baseball academy with a $3.5 million contribution.
With at least $3.5 million being put into a new youth baseball academy, it is obvious that the District realizes that baseball is floundering among the youth. So how exactly do the youth of the District feel about the stadium?
Malecia Bynum, a 17-year-old senior at Benjamin Banneker Senior High School, said, "I feel as though the new baseball stadium is not necessary." Jonnika Hart, a 17-year-old senior at Carroll Senior High School, echoed that sentiment saying simply, "I don't care about it". Not all students share the view of these two students. Jared Middleton, a 16-year-old junior at Banneker, said, "I feel good about it because it would keep baseball inside of the city."
Even though students may have mixed feelings about the new stadium, there is no denying the fact that students are aware of the problems facing this city. They realize that the money being spent on this stadium can be used in other areas for the city. For example, Andrew Dyer, a 16-year-old junior at Banneker, offers his opinion saying that money could be spent on issues such as "a homeless initiative, raising minimum wage, and school system improvements."
The revised stadium lease was voted on and passed by the D.C. City Council and then approved by Major League Baseball. Now as Opening Day approaches, the Washington Nationals can begin their search for an owner, and begin operating like a normal MLB team.
While there will continue to be many questions to be answered, such as will the city's love affair with the team continue? How long will it take the team to find an owner? The Nationals at last have a brand-new stadium to look forward to. Also, the new stadium assures the team that they will not be moving anytime soon. And while the city remains divided over the stadium, the bigger problem may be trying to justify the stadium to the high school children, a lot of whom are paying attention, and took notice of the whole stadium situation.
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