Economic Impact

Once again, residents of southeast Baltimore County filled a public hearing last night to speak out against plans for an Asian cultural center.Keith Roberts was one of about 100 residents who gathered at 7:30 p.m. in the County Council chamber in Towson for the public hearing.Mr. Roberts chose to address his comments to County Councilman Vincent Gardina, D-5th, who represents the district where Worldbridge would be located.He called for a show of hands in the room for people who were opposed to Worldbridge and nearly every hand went up. "Mr. Councilman, you defeated a 16-year incumbent," Mr. Roberts said.

Baltimore City's current financial distress is caused in large part by the bleeding of population to surrounding counties and elsewhere and the exodus of Baltimore based businesses that have followed the population migration. A financially successful Grand Prix would have given the city a much needed lift. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. While Pittsburgh-based Forward Analytics estimated that the economic impact for the city was $47 million, far less than expected, a UMBC sports economics professor estimated that the race prompted only about $15 million in additional spending.

It's hard to argue that more transparency isn't called for in planning for another Baltimore Grand Prix ("Officials mum on Grand Prix selection process," Jan. 10). As Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke points out, "We lost a lot of taxpayers' money," and this taxpayer doesn't want to see that happen again. I have no doubt that the process being followed by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is legal, but that does not ensure that it will be either prudent or responsible. The mayor should, at a minimum, be willing to tell us how decisions are being made.

No convention center is expected to make a profit. The measures of success are attendance and the money that delegates pump into a region through taxes and spending on hotel rooms, restaurants and entertainment. Those who championed Baltimore's expansion point to state reports that claim the convention center has produced huge economic benefits. The financial impact from the complex in fiscal year 2001, the most current year available, was $569 million, they say. On top of that was millions more in tax revenue.

One week before Baltimore County officials are due to voice their opinions about the Worldbridge Centre, the state released yesterday a glowing report on the economic impact of the proposed $500 million Asian theme park and trade center.Worldbridge, an educational, retail, business, convention and entertainment center, will generate more than $1.7 billion a year in economic "ripples" during normal operations and lead to the creation of 28,000 jobs statewide, according to the state Department of Economic and Employment Development's research office.

A group that opposes a Redskins stadium in Laurel has released a study that questions the economic development claims of stadium supporters, and suggests the project would have only a "minor" economic impact on Anne Arundel County.The study by ZHA Inc., of Annapolis, estimates that most of the 570 construction jobs would go to noncounty residents and that once the stadium opened it would generate only about 35 full-time jobs for maintenance and administrative workers, and 1,200 game-day positions.

IT WAS Oct. 1, 1955, the height of the Cold War, a cold, damp day in Norfolk, Va., when the USS Forrestal was commissioned and became the world's first super aircraft carrier. The mighty ship, No. 59 for those who follow such things, was nearly lost in a fire on its fifth day in combat off the Vietnamese coast July 29. 1967, saved by the heroic actions of the crew. The flattop was decommissioned in 1993 and awaits its fate at a pier in Coddington Cove, R.I. Baltimore, which hosted "Op Sail 2000" last summer and the Army-Navy game in December, is on a roll, riding the crest and enjoying the prestige and economic impact that comes with a very successful year for attracting tourists and their dollars.

Your Nov. 26 editorial, ''Bad news for D.C.-area drivers,'' was filled with erroneous information related to the issues surrounding improvements to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in southern Prince George's County. I was appalled by The Sun's assessment that the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Coordinating Committee's recent action was ''a dirty trick."When it was formed several years ago, the coordinating committee had set as a guiding premise that marine traffic on the Potomac River should be preserved.

In an effort to measure just how much of an economic impact federal offices have on the nation's downtown business districts, a federal agency and a nonprofit preservation group will study Baltimore and two other cities. The General Services Administration, which oversees property leased and owned by the federal government, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation said yesterday that they would survey government workers and their visitors on their buying and commuting habits. They also will look at federal procurement contracts.

Politics and horse racing are strange bedfellows.But they have certainly contributed their share of newspaper clips over the years.Last week's OTB hearing before the State Senate Finance committee was no Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas confirmation extravaganza, but it was still good theater.When the TV cameras left after about an hour, so did most of the senators. Only five of the 10 or 12 lawmakers stayed behind, and one of those fell asleep.The barrage of statistics thrown out during the four-hour hearing took some time to absorb.