The Harris County Houston Authority took "two major
     steps" Wednesday toward ensuring that the cost of a new
     downtown ballpark will not exceed $250M, according to John
     Williams of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE.  The authority
     "unanimously approved" a contract for "up to" $17.85M with
     K.C-based architects HOK and others to design the
     retractable roof stadium.  The authority also unanimously
     approved a "tentative" deal with Houston-based Brown & Root
     to build the park for "no more than" $229.5M, with the firm
     and the authority to "share any savings equally."  Brown &
     Root will get a "guaranteed" $7.5M to manage construction of
     the facility and, "in return, will guarantee any cost
     overruns."  A final contract with Brown & Root is "likely to
     be approved" by December 15 (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 12/4).

          The city of Dallas has agreed to "kick in an extra"
     $20M for "road and sewer projects" around the proposed new
     arena for the Mavericks and Stars, prompting complaints that
     "subsidies are mushrooming," according to Todd Gillman of
     the DALLAS MORNING NEWS.  A 44-page master agreement, which
     calls for a 20,500-seat facility with 2,500 club seats and
     120 luxury boxes, was presented to the City Council.  It
     includes a provision that $10M of the facility's $230M price
     tag go back to the team owners as "fees for managing and
     financing the deal."  Gillman writes that "critics" say the
     "growing costs, payments to team owners and lack of
     guaranteed development around the arena" make the deal
     "unacceptable."  But Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk said, "Our costs
     on the arena are $125 million, and they're not going to go a
     penny higher" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 12/4).  In Ft. Worth,
     Mede Nix reports that Mavs Owner Ross Perot Jr.'s Hillwood
     Development Corp. will be paid $8.4M as "developer" of the
     project, while Stars Owner Tom Hicks' firm Hicks Muse Tate &
     Furst will be paid $1.58M as a "financial fee" (Mede Nix,
     FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 12/4).

          On the eve of groundbreaking for their new Pac Bell
     Ballpark, the MLB Giants announced a minority hiring and job
     program yesterday which includes a proposal to pay
     "apprenticeship costs for disadvantaged young people who go
     into construction trades," according to Ramon McLeod of the
     S.F. CHRONICLE.  Giants VP Larry Baer also said that the
     team is setting aside 20% of the project work for minority-
     owned businesses and 10% for female-owned businesses.  The
     ballpark project is expected to create "more than" 2,500
     construction jobs.  Under the minority hiring plan, the club
     will pay for the "apprenticeship costs of 100 poor people
     who will enter job training programs" aimed at getting them
     jobs on the ballpark project (S.F. CHRONICLE, 12/4).

          The day after the MCI Center officially opened,
     officials met "to see what needed adjusting," according to
     Montgomery & Heath of the WASHINGTON POST.  Traffic inside
     the building was at the "top of the list," after "choke
     points" developed at various spots in the arena, and some
     fans reached "places they weren't supposed to, such as the
     carpeted club level.  As for outside traffic, "[h]eavy use"
     of Metro made "getting to and from the arena easy."  The
     10,200 people who reportedly took the Metro was a "near
     bull's-eye" on city Metro and Washington Sports Chair Abe
     Pollin's target figure (WASHINGTON POST, 12/4).  Pollin
     appeared on NBC's "Today" with Willard Scott, with Scott
     giving Pollin a kiss on the cheek for his birthday, which
     was yesterday.  Scott, on the MCI Center: "It is not just
     beautiful, it's a tourist attraction" (NBC, 12/4).