Washington Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke's proposal to build a78,600-seat stadium in Landover hinges in part on his willingness toappease a handful of county politicians who want a multipurposesports complex for inner-Beltway youths as part of the package.
Several Prince George's County Council members have made it clearthat construction of a facility on a par with Laurel's FairlandAthletic Center is crucial to their support of the project. Cooke haspromised to help build such a facility near his proposed stadium on a300-acre site known as the Wilson Farm.
The Fairland complex, one of the finest public sports centers inthe Washington area, features an indoor Olympic-size pool, tennis andracquetball courts, a diving area and other facilities. Officialsfrom the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission saidit would cost about $10 million to build a complex similar toFairland, most of which was built three years ago.
Cooke representatives and county officials have declined topublicly discuss how much Cooke would contribute, saying it's undernegotiation. Sources involved in the negotiations said countyofficials are talking about a facility in the $13 million to $15million range, although Cooke has indicated he does not want to paythat much. Cooke has said he will fund the entire stadium, which hasa price tag of $180 million to $200 million.
The council will vote next month on three measures that wouldallow Cooke to build a stadium.
'I'm looking for something on that land similar to Fairland,' saidcouncil member Dorothy Bailey (D-7th District), who representsseveral communities around the Wilson Farm. 'We've got to look notjust at how much it cost to build it but how much it costs tomaintain it. We've got a lot to think about.'
Eugene L. Singleton, an aide to council member Marvin F. Wilson (D-5th District), who also represents communities near the farm, saidWilson envisions 'a similar facility to Fairland, but also withindoor and outdoor basketball facilities, a hiker-biker trail andfootball and soccer fields.'
Before Cooke builds anything, he must negotiate with CountyExecutive Wayne K. Curry (D) over a deal to lease or sell the WilsonFarm, which the county and state own.
Those who live inside the Capital Beltway in Prince George's havelong complained that there are few recreational outlets for youths.So residents were thrilled when the county and state purchased thefarm for $6.4 million this year.
County officials promised that the land would be used for aregional park. But the county's shaky financial position was becomingmore apparent, and officials realized that Prince George's would haveno money for a major project any time soon.
When Cooke made it clear that the Wilson Farm was his choice for astadium site, some council members said they wanted him to chip inmillions of dollars to build the recreational complex. Cooke wasreceptive.
'We feel we could help create one of the most attractive athleticcenters on the East Coast,' said Gerard E. Evans, one of Cooke'slawyers. 'To have such a facility joined on the same site as one ofthe premier organizations in the NFL has got to be a plus for thecommunity.'
Not everyone sees it that way. Cooke has angered many residents bypushing legislation that would help him chop months off the normalland-use planning process. Many have accused Cooke of trying to speedthrough the project to avoid the kind of public opposition thatkilled similar stadium plans in Laurel and Alexandria.
'We don't want to talk about no stadium or no sports facility,'said Timothy McIntosh, president of the Forestville Knolls CivicAssociation. 'We want to stay focused on the issue of these bills.We're not going to let them ram this thing through.'
McIntosh is one of the vocal civic activists from middle- andworking-class neighborhoods inside the Beltway who have successfullyopposed projects in recent years that they feel would hurt theirneighborhoods. Some of McIntosh's like-minded friends, includingactivists Abraham Lincoln and Freddie Dawkins, caution that thecounty shouldn't rush the deal through just to get a sports complex.
Other residents, however, are excited by the prospect.
'There is a very vocal minority in our community that projects aloud voice; they try to give the public the impression that theyrepresent the majority,' said Lovern J. Louis, president of theSuitland Citizens Association. 'I think the sports complex is anopportunity that we really shouldn't turn a deaf ear to. In fact, I'mvery excited about the Redskins coming to our county, period.'
