A recent editorial by The Examiner congratulated the Maryland Stadium Authority on successful completion of its mission by securing a National Football League team for Baltimore and ensuring the Orioles remain part of our State for years to come. Suggesting that our job is done, the editorial urged the Stadium Authority to dissolve. What a bad idea!
Completing Oriole Park at Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium, two projects delivered on time and on budget, markedthe beginning of the Maryland Stadium Authority?s job. Under the team leases, MSA is responsible for the operation, maintenance and security of these world-class facilities. Every day we perform essential work to ensure that the baseball and football stadiums are safe, clean, operate efficiently and serve as a model for other sports facilities. MSA ensures that:
» High-quality cleaning services are performed to guarantee an attractive and healthy environment for visitors to the baseball and football stadiums.
» Access to, and parking at, Camden Yards operates smoothly to guarantee the entire sport?s experience is a pleasant one.
» Security is comprehensive and provides for the safety of all guests.
» Essential equipment, including elevators and escalators, is maintained in compliance with strict safety standards; HVAC and electrical systems function at a high level to ensure the comfort of our guests.
Stadium revenues, (rent and admissions taxes generated by the stadiums and paid to MSA) consistently exceed operating costs. In fact, the economic impact of the stadiums has exceeded the original projections, with $540,000 being returned to the state in 2005. And lottery revenues appropriated for these projects stand $10 million per year less than originally anticipated.
High profile events including the papal visit in 1995, the Army-Navy game ? 2000 and again in 2007 ? NCAA Lacrosse Championships and the 2006 Graham Festival also generate revenues at the two stadiums. In fact, each stadium hosts an average of more than 200 nongame activities every year.
Parking lot events, including ride-and-drives, the African American Heritage Festival, the Baltimore Marathon and other events, take place each year at Camden Yards. Rent from more than a dozen tenants in the Warehouse at Camden Yards and two museums in Camden Station ? Sports Legends and Geppi?s Entertainment Museum ? add to the revenues. All of these activities require the expertise of MSA?s facilities management staff.
Because of the success of our original mission and the excellence with which MSA oversees its operational responsibilities at Camden Yards, the Maryland General Assembly authorizes MSA?s involvement in new projects time and again, including the renovation and expansion of the Baltimore and Ocean City Convention Centers and the design and construction of the Montgomery County Conference Center. Both the Ocean City Convention Center and the Montgomery County Conference Center were completed under budget; in fact, $1 million was returned to the state coffers for each project.
Other MSA projects, including Ripken Stadium, Comcast Center at the University of Maryland, College Park and the Hippodrome Theatre have met or exceeded the economic predictions made when design began.
Our projects also result in intangible benefits ? elevating community pride and enhancing the quality of life in our state. MSA receives national recognition for our leadership and innovation and is considered a model for other states and jurisdictions. The Stadium Authority has proven to be a professional, competent and dependable agency ? a valuable tool that has been called upon by every governor and legislature for the past 20 years to make our state a better place for our citizens.
The legislature has expanded the activities of the Maryland Stadium Authority, not because our agency enjoys “eternal life,” but because MSA met our original mission and continues to exceed the performance expectations for which we were created.
Robert L. McKinney is chairman of the Maryland Stadium Authority.
