The Heat are "scrambling to have" the AmericanAirlines
Arena ready by December 31, according to De Lollis &
Krischer Goodman of the MIAMI HERALD. De Lollis & Krischer
Goodman write, "It will be down to the buzzer. There
appears to be a lot of work left to be done." The work
force has been increased from 800 to 1,200, and construction
supervisors "have started a three-shift, 24-hour-a-day
operation" (MIAMI HERALD, 11/19). Meanwhile, a Miami-Dade
County review committee "recommended" that the Heat "should
be fined for failing to disclose that some of the work
earmarked for minority firms" at the area "was done by other
companies instead." The report -- which was made public
this week -- said that Heat execs "knew by" February '98
that they "would not meet affirmative action goals" on the
$203M project. But Heat President of Business Operations
Jay Cross "reacted angrily" to the report: "We stand by our
conviction that we have done nothing wrong." The Heat
"agreed to set aside" 30%, or about $3.6M, of the design
work for minority firms, including those owned by women,
African-Americans and Hispanics. Heat execs state that "they
fell short of the goal" by about $1M (MIAMI HERALD, 11/19).
