Oriole Park

The Maryland Stadium Authority, in order to maintain the new Oriole Park at Camden Yards in its Opening Day condition, yesterday approved a three-year contract with Harry M. Stevens Maintenance Services Inc.The Baltimore firm will be paid $703,207 a year to pick up trash after each game, wash down seats, vacuum private suites, clean windows and perform other chores.

Joe Spear is not from Baltimore. He attends few Orioles games. He probably never will throw out a ceremonial first ball or rate a day in his honor.Spear has made one small contribution to Orioles history, though. He is the person who designed the ballpark in which the team figures to be playing for maybe the next 200 years.Spear, 39, was the principal design architect of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, a ballpark to which he devoted all working hours for about two years. It wasn't the first time at the drawing table for Spear, who is a senior vice president at HOK Sports Facilities Group, the renowned ballpark architects.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards has won the first of what is likely to be a stadium full of architectural design awards.The urban design plan for the stadium was selected to receive the Grand Award in the 1991 design awards program sponsored the Baltimore chapter of the American Institute of Architects. RTKL Associates Inc. of Baltimore was honored as the designer.Eleven other buildings or projects were considered for awards, but the judges felt the stadium plan deserved "the highest level of recognition," said architect Charles Dagit.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards isn't being funded by taxpayers, but it is dependent on lottery proceeds that critics contend could be used for other services with the state facing a $450 million deficit. There is also strong sentiment that Memorial Stadium shouldn't be closed, even though the city risked losing the Orioles if it didn't build a new stadium.We'd like to know if you're in favor of the new stadium at Camden Yards.To register your opinion, call SUNDIAL at 783-1800 (or 268-7736 in Anne Arundel County)

The workers who clean Oriole Park at Camden Yards - and who fought a successful campaign last year for higher wages - have voted to unionize, AFSCME Maryland said yesterday. The union, the state affiliate of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said the cleaners voted 64 to 13 to join. About 130 were eligible to vote. AFSCME hailed the results, tallied early yesterday morning, as a victory for "contingent workers" with no set schedule. They are employed by Chimes DC, which is an arm of Baltimore nonprofit Chimes International and has a contract with the Maryland Stadium Authority.

Three minutes at Oriole Park at Camden Yards Monday night remains a blur, "a fuzz," to Columbia resident Donna M. $l Greenwald, who attracted 45,990 pairs of eyes -- and ears.After doing the unthinkable -- drinking a soft drink before singing -- and battling a case of strep throat, Mrs. Greenwald belted out the national anthem a cappella before the masses at the new ballpark. The Orioles defeated the Chicago White Sox 4-3, in 14 innings.Six months ago, she sent the Orioles public affairs department an audition audio cassette.

Melanie Hoffner made her debut last night on the home field of Oriole shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. and power hitter Rafael Palmeiro.No -- Melanie did not try out for the team. The Ellicott City seventh-grader was among the 42 members of the Patapsco Middle School wind ensemble that played the Canadian and American national anthems before last night's game between the Orioles and the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore."It was awesome," Melanie, 12, shouted as she rushed off the field with her oboe, moments after playing before the sellout crowd of 47,194.

Orioles owner Peter Angelos said yesterday he is exploring the possibility of putting an NFL team in Oriole Park in 1995 if Baltimore is able to entice an existing franchise to relocate here."

While the idea of a strike rubs many baseball players the wrong way, no one is more upset than the fans who watch the players and the employees who work at ballparks."