Mayor hopes to quickly end Phila. stadium controversy

If Mayor John Street has his way, Philadelphia sports fans will soon be singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" with new vigor. During his first 100 days in office, Street says he will resolve the controversy surrounding the city's ongoing plan to construct new stadiums for the Philadelphia Eagles and Phillies. Street made a $23 million promise on January 5 to the NFL Eagles that he would get them a stadium. The mayor said he would put the money into the construction of the team's new practice facility if City Council does not approve funding for the stadium deal by November 3. Under this promise, Street would have to put $80 million toward repairing the almost 30-year-old Veterans Stadium -- shared by the Phillies and the Eagles -- if a deal is not made by next fall. "Mayor Street's stepping to the plate really quickly? changed the status of the stadium issue to put it back on the front burner," said Marjorie Dugan, who leads the transition team appointed by Street to help the city reach a deal with the two franchises. After hearing Street's commitment to resolving the stadium issue, the Eagles restarted work on their practice facility, which is located on the grounds of the old Naval Hospital. The team had stopped the facility's construction after former Mayor Ed Rendell's November announcement that the stadium issue would not be resolved in 1999. In December, Street assembled a committee of about 20 local residents to find ways to involve the community and be economically efficient during negotiations with the teams. Phillies Director for Business Development Joe Giles also noted that the teams have yet to select the specific locations of the new stadiums. It must still be decided whether the stadiums will be constructed in South Philadelphia near the Vet or somewhere downtown -- a possibility that is looking increasingly remote. Dugan said the committee, which is co-chaired by Legal Studies Professor Kenneth Shropshire, will hopefully submit a proposal to the mayor in February. "Street's announcement really served to energize the committee," Dugan explained. "The big emphasis is that John Street really wants the public to be involved in this process and doesn't want to make any decisions without them." But not everyone is entirely supportive of Street's promise to allocate such a large amount of funding to the sports teams. West Philadelphia Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, for one, said she is supportive of the economic vitality that the stadium could bring to the city, but is apprehensive that the success might come at the expense of Philadelphia neighborhoods. "I believe that we need all of these things to make our city move," she said. "If we really, really work hard together, we can meet both goals, but our commitment has to be to the neighborhoods first." Blackwell added that funding for the new stadiums was likely to be a topic discussed by West Philadelphia residents at the area's town meeting with Street on February 9. However, Giles said he is optimistic that the city and the franchises will reach a deal by Street's November deadline. "We have to finish negotiations with Mayor Street and work through the issues that remain outstanding," he said. "These are just normal things that have to be worked out in any project." Dugan did, however, indicate that the franchises were considering rebuilding on the original Vet site, while also examining new possibilities. Street's announcement comes almost two years after the state legislature passed a bill promising the two teams almost one third of the estimated $600 million needed to build the new facilities. The city had promised to pay an additional third of the costs, leaving the teams to pick up the rest of the bill.