Rounding third: Menino, Sox CEO make progress in ballpark talks

By Cosmo Macero Jr. and David R. Guarino

June 30, 2000 Web posted at: 12:44 PM EDT (1644 GMT)

BOSTON, Massachusetts (The Boston Herald) -- Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Red Sox chief executive John Harrington yesterday surged closer to a deal on city financing for a new Fenway Park, discussing ``hard numbers'' in their most productive talks in weeks.

Menino and Harrington met for an hour and 40 minutes at the Parkman House, and the mayor and other sources reported that the negotiations are moving ahead in a positive way.

``We hope, in the very near future, that we can come up with some agreements,'' Menino said. ``I'm confident that we are making progress.''

Significantly, Menino acknowledged that the talks extended beyond how the city can recapture a proposed $140 million investment - suggesting the two sides may be reaching common ground on revenue streams and other financial details.

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``There is a neighborhood there also. We have other issues we have to resolve,'' Menino said.

One source suggested an agreement in principle could come as soon as today. But Harrington, on his way into the meeting, said it's too early to think a deal is in striking distance.

``I wouldn't expect that we're going to announce anything'' immediately, Harrington said.

Several sources pointed out that a final deal is impossible unless Gov. Paul Cellucci and legislative leaders are willing to sign on. But Menino was clear yesterday that the once-rocky discussions with the Red Sox have given way to more productive negotiations.

``I'm still confident,'' Menino said. ``I really am confident it can get done.''

Yesterday's meeting, according to several sources, was the first strong sign that such an agreement is possible before the state Legislature adjourns July 31.

``They were positive discussions. It was problem solving,'' said one source familiar with the Menino-Harrington talks. ``And we're far along the way to solving some of the problems.''

More significant progress could be made before the July 4 holiday.

``There could be some intense discussions through the weekend,'' another source said. ``They are really engaged. The Red Sox have responded to everything they've been asked to respond to.''

Cellucci has been the most supportive of the Red Sox' $627 million ballpark plan, which calls for the team's new stadium to be built on a 15-acre site between Brookline Avenue and Boylston Street.

But in a clear sign that Cellucci is unwilling to see the project die if talks collapse over the chosen site, the Herald has learned that the governor's top fiscal advisers are now conducting an intense review of at least five alternate locations - some of which Menino has previously ruled out.

``If (the state) can deliver the land, (they) could reduce the total cost by millions,'' said one source familiar with review.

According to sources, Cellucci's administration and finance staff has begun cost analysis and other studies of:

An air rights parcel over the Massachusetts Turnpike near Kenmore Square.

A tract of state-owned land off Route 3 in Quincy, near the headquarters of the Patriot Ledger newspaper.

The state-owned incinerator site in the South Bay area of Boston.

The near-vacant Assembly Square mall site in Somerville.

A large tract of land on Suffolk Downs property in East Boston and Revere.

While Cellucci has had little direct involvement in the week-old alternate site review, sources say the analysis is being performed with both the governor's blessing and the approval of chief legal counsel Leonard Lewin - Cellucci's point man on the Fenway Park project.

Administration officials are also weighing the possibility of allowing state bonds to be used to help finance the ballpark project - a move that could dramatically cut the Red Sox' $350 million project cost.

Moreover, sources say, the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency could have a role if the project is built on state land, or even if the chosen site is privately owned.

All the sites under review, including the current ballpark site, may qualify for some form of Mass. Development assistance, sources say.

Cort Boulanger, a spokesman for the Executive Office of Administration and Finance, declined comment on the specifics of the site review.

But he confirmed that the administration is preparing a series of backup plans for the Red Sox.

``Right now we're focused on helping the Red Sox build on the chosen site,'' Boulanger said. ``But we have been informally examining other options.''

It's unclear whether Menino or House and Senate leaders would support any alternate sites, though some lawmakers and several members of the City Council have said the current site is too costly to acquire and otherwise problematic.

Moreover, Menino in the past has ruled out the South Bay incinerator site, and a city-state panel on air rights development has prepared guidelines that appear to rule out ballpark-related construction over the Pike.

And sources close to Cellucci say the governor is fully behind the current site, provided Menino can reach agreement with Harrington on terms of repayment to the city.

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