Council approves stadium contract

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The Washington Nationals moved one big step closer to getting their stadium in Southeast yesterday when the D.C. Council voted 9-4 in favor of a contract requiring the ballpark to be built for a guaranteed maximum price.

Under the contract, Clark Construction of Bethesda, Smoot Construction of the District and Hunt Construction Group of Scottsdale, Ariz., are required to build the ballpark for no more than $320 million, plus $68 million in "soft costs" like insurance. The deal is expected to help the city comply with legislation capping the District's costs for the project at $611 million, which the council also approved on a temporary basis.

The contract's approval came one day after Major League Baseball and the city signed a lease agreement for the new ballpark, and D.C. Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi said he would move forward with the sale of bonds to finance the project.

"I think we are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, and I don't think it's a moving train," said Sharon Ambrose, a Ward 6 Democrat who supported the Nationals' move to the city. "I think that a baseball stadium is going to be good for baseball, good for the city and good for the residents of the District of Columbia."

The construction contract requires the Clark-Hunt-Smoot team to build a 41,000-seat ballpark with a contemporary design. It must be on par in quality to newer ballparks in San Diego, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Cincinnati and Detroit.

The stadium, to be built along South Capitol Street near the Anacostia River waterfront, is required to have a northeast orientation, allowing for a view of the U.S. Capitol. Designs call for steel and glass facades.

The provision calling for a guaranteed price was crafted last month after the council said it would not approve a lease agreement for the stadium unless costs for the city were contained. Despite the contract, the council insisted on capping the city's costs of the full project and Feb. 8 passed an emergency bill calling for a $611 million maximum contribution.

The legislation called for any overruns to be paid for by the team owner, private sources or the federal government. On Sunday, MLB approved a stadium lease and the terms of the cost cap.

"I don't think anyone is happy with this whole piece," council chairman Linda Cropp said. "But everyone has played a role in making it a little bit better."

Cropp suggested the creation of a task force of experts and council members to oversee the stadium construction and ensure it is on time and on budget.