Harwell to make last pitch for old ballpark

Ex-broadcaster to tell council: Save part of stadium for city's youth.

David Josar and Christine MacDonald / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- Legendary sportscaster Ernie Harwell on Friday will become the voice of Tiger Stadium when he urges the city to delay a decision on the ballpark's fate until September.

Harwell is scheduled to address the City Council at 10:30 a.m., invited by his longtime friend, Councilwoman Martha Reeves, to share what he thinks should happen to the vacant ballpark.

The City Council had planned to vote Friday morning on a proposal by Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to demolish most of the stadium by the end of the year, to clear the path for stores and homes.

Harwell told The Detroit News on Wednesday that the city should put the brakes on knocking down the stadium, which has been empty since the Tigers moved to Comerica Park in 2000.

"They've waited this long to decide what to do with it, a month longer won't hurt," said Harwell, now retired and living in Novi.

In a bizarre twist in the saga over whether the stadium should stand or fall, Reeves said she wanted Harwell's opinion on the stadium and then urged her colleagues to wait until after their summer recess, which starts Monday and ends in early September, to make a decision. Although Harwell will visit on Friday, it's not clear when the council will vote.

Reeves, a former Motown star, and Harwell, a published songwriter with more than 65 songs to his credit, have been friends for more than 30 years.

The 89-year-old Harwell said he'd like to see most of the playing field preserved for the city's youth. And if the stadium is demolished, he advocates that a plaque or something similar commemorate the site.

But Harwell said he understands the $25,000 a month Detroit taxpayers spend to maintain the aging structure is expensive.

"There has to be some alternative," said Harwell, who broadcast his last Tigers game in 2002.

If would be a "heavy day" if the stadium were razed, Harwell said, but that would not be as sad as when the team played its last game at Michigan and Trumbull.

Gary Spicer, a Grosse Pointe attorney who has represented Harwell and Reeves, said the pair have been talking this week about what they could do to ensure the best plan is found for the stadium.

Representatives of the Detroit Economic Growth Corp., the quasi-public entity that is spearheading the Tiger Stadium redevelopment for the Kilpatrick administration, say that since 1999 the city has been unable to find a developer with a realistic plan for the ballpark.

They believe tearing down the stadium and then trying again to find a developer would be the best strategy, which would also save the city maintenance costs. The Kilpatrick plan also gives The Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy group the opportunity to preserve part of the ballpark and seats for a public recreation area.

Meanwhile, opponents of that plan assert the city has ignored proposals that would keep most of the stadium intact.

In other developments Wednesday as the council presses toward summer break:

• Its members expected a public apology, in person, from Detroit zoo director Ron Kagan today, but he told them via fax that he will be a no-show because of a prior engagement, Council President Kenneth Cockrel Jr. said Wednesday.

But some council members said they still expect to get that apology in-person and hope that he shows at Friday's meeting. Kagan was reprimanded for lying on his resume about having a doctorate degree. The Detroit Zoological Society, which runs the zoo that is owned by the city, let Kagan keep his job, but he lost one month's pay and was required to make a public apology.

"City Council is the most public body in the city," said Councilwoman JoAnn Watson. "The City Council should have been the first place (to apologize)."

Kagan said Wednesday he had "no opinion" referring to the council's request for an apology.

"I think it's fine to request things," said Kagan, adding that he had written a letter of apology to the council. "This is a democracy. People should ask for whatever they want."

• The council unanimously approved tax breaks for 24 neighborhoods as part of expanded Neighborhood Enterprise Zones.

The discount means savings of 18 percent to 35 percent of homeowners' city and county property taxes. The discount would take effect for the summer 2008 tax bills, city officials said. The deadline to apply with the city is Oct. 1.

The goal is to keep and attract residents to the city, and level the tax burden between new and older homeowners. To qualify, homeowners must have purchased their home after Dec. 31, 1996. The break lasts up to 15 years.

Staff Writer Catherine Jun contributed to this report.