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In right direction Proposed legislation boost to Boston stadium
Posted: Tuesday May 11, 1999 09:13 PM
BOSTON (AP) -- New England Patriots fans would be cheering in a brand-new stadium in Foxboro by 2001 under proposed legislation announced Tuesday by Beacon Hill leaders. The bill would provide $70 million in infrastructure for the New England Patriots football stadium, such as roads, sewers and other utilities, Republican Gov. Paul Cellucci said. Cellucci; House Speaker Thomas Finneran, D-Boston; and Senate President Thomas Birmingham, D-Chelsea, announced the filing of the bill at a Statehouse news conference. The bill was based on a conceptual agreement the three leaders announced two weeks ago after a late-night meeting. The leaders said the bill could be the subject of a public hearing by Monday and then be passed by both House and Senate on Tuesday. "It seems as if the end zone is in reasonable sight," said Finneran. Patriots owner Robert Kraft was absent from the news conference. And the elected leaders said they had had no input from Kraft while working on the bill. But the leaders said they worked closely with the NFL on the bill and were assuming that meant it would be acceptable to Kraft. They also said that parts of the bill were the same as a bill backed by Kraft that Kraft had supported last year. "The NFL, I'm sure, has been in contact with Mr. Kraft," said Cellucci. "I'm sure they didn't have two of their top guys sitting down with us ... for the fun of it. There's a reason why those people were there," Cellucci said. Finneran took a different tack in defending the lack of contact with Kraft. "Very rarely do you write legislation in which you ask people that might be affected for a complete and total signoff. Here's the legislation. If you don't like it, it's a free country. You can do whatever you want. It's his team," Finneran said. Patriots spokesman Stacey James had no comment. He referred reporters to NFL headquarters in New York. The Patriots' official line, since the collapse of their deal with the state of Connecticut on April 30, has been that they plan to "stay in Massachusetts for a long time." The NFL issued a statement, saying the bill filing was "an important step toward preserving the Patriots in Massachusetts." "We will study the impact of the proposed legislation and look forward to working closely with state officials to resolve any remaining issues promptly and cooperatively," the statement said. The stadium is expected to cost $225 million and seat about 68,000 fans. The state will receive $1.4 million per year to help offset the cost of the infrastructure improvements: $400,000 from off-site parking operators located within three miles of the stadium and $1 million from the team. The deal was much more modest than the $380 million deal offered by Connecticut. But Finneran said, "We all indicated with one voice to league officials you're not going to do any better. You're just not going to do any better in Massachusetts."
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