Va. stadium authority to defy Arlington request

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The Virginia Baseball Stadium Authority last night said it will defy a request from Arlington County seeking to remove the jurisdiction from all ballpark site consideration. By leaving two potential sites in Pentagon City and a third in Rosslyn on the authority's short list, the ballpark debate that has raged through Arlington County for most of this year promises to remain hot.

"We're still not ruling anything out," said Michael Frey, stadium authority chairman. "We need to do our job. Arlington County has asked to be removed before we've finished our job, but we need to keep doing our job."

The move comes a week after the Arlington County Board made its stunning decision to remove the county from any further ballpark site consideration. After more than six months sitting on the fence on the issue, board members made the move after Major League Baseball missed a self-appointed deadline to determine the future of the Montreal Expos by the July 15 All-Star Game.

The decision severely weakened the commonwealth's baseball bid, as it seemed to eliminate a proposed ballpark site in Pentagon City, currently owned by Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation and coveted by the authority.

But not only do Virginia baseball advocates vow to press ahead, they see wiggle room in the board's decision since it came in the form of a letter to the stadium authority, and not an official vote.

"The [stadium] process really hasn't begun," said prospective team owner William Collins. "We haven't bought land. We haven't filed a zoning application. Nothing has really started, and that all changes when baseball makes it [relocation] decision."

After missing the All-Star break to render a decision on the Expos' future, MLB officials are now targeting a period between late August and the end of the season.

Despite the continued optimism, and some might say bravado, from the Virginia baseball advocates, the Arlington County Board appears similarly resolved. Paul Ferguson, board chairman, said yesterday any current and forthcoming lobbying efforts for an Arlington County stadium will be for naught.

"Our position hasn't changed, nor will it change," Ferguson said. "I can firmly say the position of the board is not reversible. We put a lot of effort and thought into this decision, and the whole idea was to provide some certainty into what has been an uncertain and divisive situation."