BY LINDSAY FABER and JON HEYMAN
STAFF WRITERS
June 12, 2005
In a last-ditch effort to reinstate an Olympic bid that all but crumbled last week, the city on Monday may unveil as its centerpiece a proposal for a new stadium in Queens, an opportunity being viewed by the Mets as a chance for a new home, sources close to the talks said.
Sources confirmed yesterday that high-level discussions about the stadium took place in the Mets camp on Thursday and Friday and continued over the weekend. An e-mail went out to several people in the organization telling them not to discuss any plans.
How the plan might take shape remained unclear.
Many options were being discussed, though two that appeared to garner little support were to refit Shea Stadium, the Mets current home and to build a temporary Olympic stadium in Willets Point, according to the sources. Another option that was being reviewed is the possibility of a multi-purpose stadium that would house the Mets and another sports team.
The Jets have repeatedly said they prefer the West Side Stadium proposal and are not interested in moving to Queens.
Jeff Wilpon, the Mets' chief operating officer, and Fred Wilpon, the chairman and principal owner of the team, declined comment through their spokesman.
Olympic organizers in the city balked at the idea of a Queens stadium site until this past week, when the West Side stadium failed to receive state-approved funding. Over the past few days, there has been a push to construct a feasible alternative that would be considered seriously by the International Olympic Committee members, who will choose from among New York, Paris, London, Madrid and Moscow.
The IOC is slated to make its final decision on July 6 in Singapore.
Not surprisingly, a Queens stadium proposal was met with mixed reviews Saturday from city lawmakers, Mets fans and local Flushing residents and workers.
Councilman Hiram Monserrate (D-Corona), whose district includes Shea Stadium and the Willets Point area, said he has not been contacted about any potential plan over the last few days. He said he has "serious concerns" -- including congestion and environmental issues -- about putting the stadium in his district.
"I don't think it's a great idea," he said.
Democratic Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside), whose district sits to the west of Shea, said the traffic would be unbearable.
"Everything now gets jammed up when the Mets are doing well and when the tennis stadium is under operation," Avella said, referring to Arthur Ashe Stadium, where U.S. Open is played. "Another major event would kill Queens. We'd be landlocked."
David Oats, chairman of the Queens Olympic Committee, which has been pushing Willets Point for some time, said a stadium in the area would perfectly suit the Olympics due to the proximity to the subway, the Long Island Railroad, several highways, airports and the water.
"This site solves all the problems the West Side had," Oats said.
Some Mets fans said they applauded the idea, as long as they didn't have to pay for it.
Bob Silva, 50, who was at Shea Stadium yesterday with his 10-year-old son, said he viewed a new stadium as a boon to the team.
"This stadium is going to be outdated soon," Silva said. "I think it would be a good thing. It would create some revenue and an income ... as long as the taxpayers don't have to pay for the stadium."
Those who make a living in the Iron Triangle, the area between Shea Stadium and the Flushing River that is mostly occupied by auto yards and repair shops and is a possible site for a new stadium, feared they would lose their life blood.
Natan Seri, 48, owner of Sunrise Auto Parts, and a businessman in the area for 10 years, said he would hate to be displaced by a new stadium.
"I would be on the street," Seri said. "Maybe I would have to beg for money."
Meanwhile, NYC2012 executive director Jay Kriegel said that the filming of a promotional video pitching New York to the IOC would go ahead as planned today."We urge New Yorkers to come out and show their support and enthusiasm for bringing the Olympic Games to our great city," Kriegel said.
