DC Politicians Display Smarts in Their Baseball Stadium Deal

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Interesting contrast to the Miller Park scheme hatched in Milwaukee & Madison some years ago, DC Common Council Chairman Linda Cropp has added some reality to the District’s deal with Major League Baseball:

At the John A. Wilson Building, anxiety over the future of baseball in Washington was evident all day. Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) pronounced during his morning news conference that the deal was “in great, great jeopardy.” Council Chairman Linda W. Cropp (D), the architect of the legislative amendment that required private funding, said she was “looking to reduce the cost and risk for the District.”
“I keep hearing that we had a deal with baseball,” Cropp said. “Well, I have had a 30-year-plus deal with the citizens of this city. That deal trumps any other consideration with Major League Baseball.”

David Nakamura and Thomas Heath

Car Review: Chrysler Town & Country Minivan

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I recently drove a couple of versions of the latest Chrysler Minivans: a basic short body length car and a longer Town & Country version (rentals). My quick thoughts:

  • They work, and includes some very useful design items. The dashboard controls are easy to use (with the exception of the strange shifter) and the radio is not bad.
  • Air circulation on the short version is not great (for the people in the last row), while the longer version has adjustable air ducts throughout the mini-van.
  • Reasonable power, though they really should have a 5 speed automatic like the 2005 Honda Odyssey.
  • Handling: Low marks as the ride is rather soft, especially when the minivan has 6 passengers. The 2005 Honda Odyssey feels more sure footed.

Barnes to Move

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Philadelphia’s fascinating Barnes Foundation is set to move downtown (from the Main Line) to Museum Row. Virtual Properties has a VR scene of the exterior here. Founder Albert C. Barnes, a patent medicine millionaire, never wanted this – he loathed the downtown art crowd. Visit the Barnes before it moves… Carol Vogel has more. Background links: Alltheweb Clusty Google MSN TeomaYahoo Search
“Everything these days doesn’t have to be a tourist trap.”

Posted in Art.

Atlanta Commits to WiFi Network

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Atlanta is rolling out wifi across municipal facilities, according to Glenn Fleishman:

A big chunk of City Hall unwires this month, and chunks of the Atlanta airport by March 2005. A private firm has contracted with Atlanta to add Wi-Fi to city buildings, but will also continue its own rollout at private locations like hotels and retail stores. This is an interesting partnership, because the city?s stamp on the Wi-Fi carrier, Biltmore Communications, and the branding of the service as Atlanta FastPass should make it a much easier sell for private parties to want to climb on this particular bandwagon.

Meanwhile, Megan Costello has more on Madison’s WiFi plans.