Members of the House Government Oversight Subcommittee on the District of Columbia questioned witness from the D.C. City Council, the Washington Convention Center Authority (WCCA), the D.C. control board and the General Accounting Office (GAO) about the viability of the financing plan, which would allow the District to issue $616 million worth of bonds to finance the new center in the Shaw neighborhood. The remaining funds for the construction would come from the hotel and restaurant taxes, interest earned on the bond proceeds and federal tax money.

Rep. Thomas Davis, R-Va., chairman of the subcommittee, said afterwards that he would recommend the full House approve the financing plan before its August recess, despite a new GAO report prepared for his office that showed the cost of the project had risen nearly $58 million. If final congressional approval comes before the recess, WCCA could break ground this fall.

Members of the Shaw Coalition staged a demonstration at D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton’s office the day before the hearing to protest that none of the resident groups opposing the project were allowed to testify before the subcommittee.

When protestors showed up last Tuesday morning, Norton and an aide ushered the group to a conference room for a meeting. The contentious meeting ended when Norton offered to enter the group’s testimony into the Congressional Record. Norton also asked the group to summit questions to her office and said she would consider asking them at the hearing.

Norton later said no one from the coalition submitted any testimony or questions.

"We advised them we’d be pleased to ask any questions they had and the fact that they didn’t speaks to their good faith," Norton said.

But opponents disagreed.

"She’s not interested in questioning this project," said Beth Solomon, a member of the coalition. "She’s interested in silencing her opponents."

After meeting with Norton, some members of the coalition staged a sit-in at her office, where they chanted and sang songs. Norton and her staff stopped Capitol Hill police from arresting the demonstrators.

Norton told the group that she could not allow the debate to carry over into Congress, because it would violate home rule principles. She told them that as the District’s congressional representative, she had no choice but to support the city council’s decision to approve the financing plan.

"When Eleanor fails, she always falls back on home rule," said coalition member Charles Washington.

At last Wednesday’s hearing, the GAO presented a new report indicating projected construction costs had risen almost $58 million dollars since September. Gloria Jarmon of the GAO attributed the increase to the convention center authority removing from its $650 million price tag for the project several items that have not yet been funded. These include $25 million in proposed federal funds for a Metro station upgrade, a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for utilities relocation, and nearly $18 million worth of vendor-provided equipment.

"Among the major unknowns are a WCCA assumption that the Congress will approve $35 million in federal funding to cover relocating utilities and upgrading the Mount Vernon Square Metro station," Jarmon said. She also expressed concern about WCCA’s plan to get have vendors supply $18 million worth of equipment, saying "to date there are no executed contracts to cover these arrangements."

However, Norton expressed confidence that WCCA would stay within its budget.

"When the GAO tells me the guaranteed price is reasonable...I certainly feel comfortable," Norton said.

Norton also questioned WCCA chairman Terrence Golden about the requirements that 51 percent of new hires be District residents. Norton voiced concerns about training programs and apprenticeships for D.C. residents.

"The District has a responsibility to make District residents competitive," she said.

Golden said he earmarked funds for an apprenticeship program in the budget.

Copyright 1998, The Common Denominator