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City, county set Plan B marathon bargaining with Pirates, Steelers
Wednesday, June 17, 1998 By Jon Schmitz,Post-Gazette Staff Writer
Pittsburgh and Allegheny County officials are pushing to reach agreements with the Pirates and Steelers on financing of new stadiums by the end of this week.
There was discussion yesterday of a marathon bargaining session Saturday involving Mayor Murphy, county Commissioners Bob Cranmer and Mike Dawida, and team officials, but no definite plans were made.
Officials said a Saturday session was possible but hoped it would not be needed.
"We're ready to do whatever it takes to make (a deal) happen," said Sandy Hamm, Cranmer's spokeswoman.
Officials had set an informal June 30 deadline to reach agreements on the new stadiums, but the deadline was moved up by Dawida's travel plans. He is leaving Sunday for an extended trip to Poland.
"The three of them are in this together as leaders. It is the desire of all of them to get the job done. If it means that the mayor and commissioners meet face-to-face with the owners in an effort to push things along, they are prepared to do that," said Margaret McCormick Barron, Murphy's spokeswoman.
Negotiators for the city and county were continuing regular talks with the teams, officials said.
Cranmer said last week that he was willing to lock himself in a room with other parties to the negotiations to get the job done. He said "four or five" financial snags remained in the talks.
At issue is how Plan B -- an $802 million proposal for two new stadiums and an expansion of David L. Lawrence Convention Center -- would be funded.
The Pirates have committed $35 million and the Steelers $50 million toward the projects. Cranmer has said he wants more from the Steelers. Also unresolved is the form of the contributions, whether they would be in upfront cash or in increments over the 30 years of a stadium lease deal.
Federal, state, county and other private sources would be tapped for the rest of the financing. The mayor and commissioners have said they would seek $13.4 million per year from the Regional Asset District, which disburses revenue from a countywide sales tax, to help underwrite the plans.
The talks have taken on urgency because the teams want to open the new stadiums in time for their 2001 seasons. Any substantial delay in completing the financing plans would make those deadlines unrealistic.
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