Park and pay

A deal to build a replacement for Fenway Park has taken another turn

By Cosmo Macero Jr. and David R. Guarino

July 20, 2000 Web posted at: 4:32 PM EDT (2032 GMT)

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BOSTON, Massachusetts (The Boston Herald) -- Ignoring the promise of a certain veto by Gov. Paul Cellucci, Mayor Thomas M. Menino yesterday unveiled a City Hall plan to help finance a new home for the Red Sox by taxing commuters to the tune of $14 million a year.

The politically risky scheme, coupled with a surprise offer to build the Red Sox a $72 million garage, would flood city coffers with enough cash to launch new social programs, Menino claims.

``We put something on the table, this is it,'' Menino said. ``This is our best scenario right now.''

While the plan faces huge obstacles on Beacon Hill, it effectively would solve the ballpark's public funding puzzle. But opposition from Cellucci and others means the method of payback to the city is still in question.

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Menino wants $11 million in new revenue to repay City Hall's revised subsidy pledge of $140 million to buy land and prepare the ballpark site. But his proposed 5 percent citywide parking surcharge would provide up to $14 million a year.

Still, the mayor admitted that he considers the parking fee preferable to a surcharge on Red Sox tickets - a measure he fears would saddle him with a ``Menino tax'' legacy in the new ballpark.

The mayor and his aides said the overflow of new parking revenue would fund new arts, youth and recreation programs.

The Red Sox, desperate to see a deal made soon, praised Menino.

``The mayor has taken a tremendous step forward and it is clear he is doing everything possible to get the new ballpark done,'' said John Harrington, Red Sox chief executive, in a statement. ``We appreciate his efforts.''

But Cellucci blasted the proposal as a ploy to use the $627 million ballpark project to swell the city's treasury on the backs of ``working men and women.''

``They want to generate a lot more revenue than they really need. It's not acceptable and I'm not going to go along with it,'' Cellucci said.

But Menino said the parking fee, presented as a local option for communities statewide, could enable other cash-strapped cities like Worcester, Springfield and Brockton to impose their own parking fees.

``It's not a big number, 35 cents on a $7 parking fee is not a back-breaker,'' Menino said. ``So that's a good measure for us to all look at. I believe it would have statewide appeal.''

Legislative leaders, however, said it's a long shot at best with so little time in the current session and Cellucci so strongly opposed.

``Forget the local option. He better start looking for some compromises,'' said state Rep. Michael Ruane (D-Salem), who chairs a special ballpark panel. ``It would be a mighty tough sell to legislators (outside) Boston.''

In the same way Cellucci has ruled out parking taxes, Menino and his aides said there's no chance City Hall will consider new property taxes in the Fenway as legitimate payback.

``That's the money for police, fire and schools,'' said Menino's chief of staff, James Rooney. ``We can't use it for other reasons.''

While Senate President Thomas F. Birmingham has expressed support for the parking surcharge, House Speaker Thomas M. Finneran has been non-committal. Neither could be reached for comment last night. But Finneran has said he would defer to Ruane's panel on the proposal.

Both leaders - and Cellucci - back a $100 million state commitment for related infrastructure.

But state lawmakers are likely to bristle at Menino's other requests, including construction of a Massachusetts Turnpike ``slingshot'' ramp for Back Bay access, and a garage access ramp.

Despite his face-off with Cellucci over the parking tax, Menino bowed to the governor's push for a garage deal by agreeing to finance a $72 million, 3,000-space Red Sox garage on Brookline Avenue. That proposal would give the Red Sox up to $7 million in annual revenue to help cover anticipated cost overruns, with the remaining $6 million covering the city's debt service on tax exempt bonds used for construction.

Menino's new $140 million offer is precisely what the Sox first sought from the city as the team steadily forced Menino to jump from an initial $100 million offer to $110 million, $120 million and eventually back to $140 million. Aides say the city opted to take on the greater burden only after Sox bankers convinced them the team doesn't have it.

``Their ability to get that extra $30 million is questionable, it was a huge open issue,'' said Rooney.

Opponents to public financing for a Sox stadium quickly tried to shoot holes in the mayor's plans, saying it finances a ballpark on the backs of everyone but Sox fans.

Members of the City Council scoffed at Menino's claims that other city ventures like arts will benefit from a stadium project.

While organizations like the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce said they are open to a parking surcharge to help build a new Fenway, one business community source close to talks said he has doubts.

``That is going nowhere,'' the source said, suggesting a more targeted charge aimed at game-day parking would fare better.

``Things seem to be moving toward user fees,'' the source said.

Fenway activists blasted the mayor's plans to put more than $200 million on the table.

``I think no matter how you wrap up this financial package, it is still giving away the taxpayers' money to the Red Sox corporation,'' said Tom Ahern, a Fenway Community Development Corp. director. He said opponents will keep fighting to renovate Fenway Park.

``This is nowhere near the end,'' he said.

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