February 27, 2008 [LINK / comment]
In today's Washington Post, Thomas Boswell frets about the the many uncertainties surrounding the opening of Nationals Park, now barely one month away. Aside from the obvious parking shortages, and lingering construction mess, there [are] growing doubts about whether the blighted industrial neighborhood in Southeast D.C. will be renovated any time soon: "As the national economy slows, the long-term future of the entire waterfront project becomes cloudier and more worrisome." It also seems that the looming recession may cut into anticipated sales of season ticket packages. The owner of the Nationals, Mark Lerner, put a positive spin on the situation by saying, "we have done the best with what we were given." What, a $600+ million subsidy wasn't enough??
Over the weekend, construction project engineers did a test of the plumbing at the new stadium, flushing the 568 toilets and 218 urinals more or less simultaneously. All systems go!