The Committee on Economic Development

Council Chambers
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004
December 13, 2005

My name is Stan Kolbe and I live on Capitol Hill in Ward 6 and am very fortunate to be represented by Councilmember and Chairperson Sharon Ambrose. To cover what she has done to improve the quality of social and economic life in Ward 6 would take most of my allotted time so I will just say thank you. Today I appear to speak in favor of the proposed stadium, especially the project labor agreement for its construction. Related to the effort to support baseball in the District, I have been a member of the DC Baseball Association since its creation. I also sit on the very active Play Ball DC! Foundation. In addition, I am the co-founder and director of the Capitol Hill Sports Organization and director and manager of the Washington Senators girls fast pitch softball organization, DC’s only national tournament team, a top ranked program nationally and a 4th place finisher in the 2005 World Series in both Indiana and Florida.
 
Professionally, I represent the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors National Association, a national trade group with an office on Capitol Hill and more than 5000 corporate members involved in building or renovating most of the monumental structures and sports facilities across the nation, including the MCI Center, Camden Yards, PNC Park, Coors Field and many more. From my experience of over 25 years in the architecture and construction field I have become familiar with many projects and the details impacting their schedule, project management and costs. Prior to my work at the construction trade association I represented the American Institute of Architects with responsibility for the Committee on Public Buildings and Facilities. Prior to that time I worked for the US Conference of Mayors and National League of Cities. From these roles I have seen and/or been involved in many of the debates on stadium design and construction as well as the political debate on who will pay, where to build and the aftermath of the decisions.
 
With so much existing misinformation and confusion concerning the proposed stadium, its potential cost and the lease terms I will attempt to clarify the issue in a number of areas.