Stadium Comment Begins

By CARLOS MONCADA The Tampa Tribune

Published: Feb 21, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - It should be fairly easy to tell the supporters from the opponents when the city council holds its first public hearing on the Tampa Bay Rays' stadium proposal tonight.

Many of the stadium backers will be wearing white Rays' T-shirts, while the foes will be wearing red.

Where they stand is as clear as black and white.

"There are a lot of people who think this can transform our city for the better," said Kenny Locke, a lifelong St. Petersburg resident and founder of Fans for Waterfront Stadium.

On the other side are people like Hal Freedman, founder of POWW, or Preserve Our Wallets and Waterfront, a group formed to fight the stadium plans.

"We're concerned about this at almost every level," said Freedman, a downtown resident.

Both organizations have registered as political action committees, enabling them to raise contributions to support their causes.

It Could Be Long Night

At issue is the proposal the Rays unveiled in November to redevelop their current home at Tropicana Field and build a $450 million ballpark on the downtown waterfront, at the spring training site of Progress Energy Park, home of Al Lang Field.

The city is evaluating the proposals while it solicits proposals from developers nationwide to remake the 86-acre Tropicana Field site, possibly selecting a developer by May 1. In the meantime, the council is holding three public hearings, including tonight's, which starts at 6:30 at City Hall, 175 Fifth St. N.

The meeting, which could run past midnight, is expected to attract more than 200 people, 75 more than what council chambers can accommodate, city Clerk Eva Andujar said. To handle the expected overflow, the city is setting aside extra parking areas and additional viewing areas inside City Hall and at an adjacent church.

"This is a big issue," council chairman James Bennett said. "If people come and [midnight] is what it is, council will be there to listen to every minute of it."

The other two public hearings are scheduled for April 10 and May 22. Both are at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. The Rays have asked the city council to decide by June 5 whether to authorize a November referendum on the new stadium.

Opposing Teams

Supporters say the Rays' proposal is worthy of serious consideration, given that the team ownership has delivered on promises it has made since arriving in 2006.

They see the potential of nationally televised games showcasing the downtown waterfront, increased tax revenue generated by the residential-and-commercial complex proposed for the Tropicana site, the opportunity to create more affordable housing and new jobs, and the notion of playing America's favorite pastime in a state-of-the-art, open-air stadium.

"There was no organized citizens' voice to support this redevelopment idea," said Locke, the pro-stadium group founder. "We want to encourage people to get out and get informed. And our objective is to have a positive voice for this."

Opponents counter that Tropicana Field is perfectly adequate and that a new ballpark on the downtown waterfront, which would require filling in six-tenths of an acre of Tampa Bay, would hurt the environment and create traffic and parking problems for downtown destinations.

They also criticized the city for discussing the project in secret with the Rays since March or earlier, and expressed skepticism about the team's claim that the new stadium will not cost taxpayers any new money.

"There's just a myriad of reasons why this big thing on our waterfront will not benefit or improve the livability for anyone who works or lives or visits downtown," said Lorraine Margeson, a longtime community activist.

Reporter Carlos Moncada can be reached at (727) 451-2333 or cmoncada@tampatrib.com.