PERFECT TIMING: St. Paul officials have "narrowed the
possible sites" for a new Twins ballpark from five to three.
Mayor Norm Coleman noted the timing of the announcement, 13
days before city voters decide whether to approve a sales
tax increase to help pay for the ballpark: "I think it's
fair to give people a sense of the vision." Coleman added:
"All of these locations provide an opportunity to bring 3
million visitors downtown" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 10/21).
LAST MINUTE: In Raleigh, Ned Glascock reports that
execs at the new Raleigh arena had hoped to get a temporary
occupancy permit yesterday, but inspectors "discovered that
the wrong kind of sprinkler heads had been installed
throughout the building." Officials now face a new
inspection Monday or Tuesday, and if they pass, the permit
"would come just in time for a hastily arranged open house"
on October 27. Hurricanes execs are "anxious about having
so little time to test the arena's equipment," and the open
house "will serve as a dry run before the first hockey game"
on October 29 (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 10/21).
NOTES: The Padres and local environmentalists agreed to
an anti-pollution plan for the team's new ballpark project
that would remove a "potential roadblock" to the ballpark
while "laying the framework for measures intended to protect
urban air quality" (UNION-TRIBUNE, 10/20)....Philadelphia
City Council member Darrell Clarke, on the Phillies' search
for a new ballpark site: "They are still trying to give
Broad and Spring Garden a shot. They really want this
thing" (PHILA. INQUIRER, 10/21)....In Detroit, Tina Lam
reports that 58.2% of the $202M in contracts awarded during
construction of Comerica Park has been received by minority-
and women-owned businesses, "nearly twice as much" as the
30% the Tigers "promised" in their deal with the Detroit/
Wayne County Stadium Authority (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 10/21).