Santo Domingo.- In February 2005 when president Leonel Fernandez for the first time spoke about Beisbolandia (baseball land), an ambitious project to rebuild the Quisqueya Stadium, he said the amount of the work was 20 million dollars.
The second time he mentioned it the cost had risen to US$75 million. And in July, 2007, when the developer Jesus Rodriguez Sandoval described all the attractions (hotels, commercial offices and storefronts, museum, eight 20 story buildings), the cost was already US$110 million.
Analysts ask why the Government has to involve taxpayers’ money; or seek a loan abroad as Fernandez announced Tuesday from Portugal, to build what should be a commercial private project, with no bidding or no call for tenders; or if in fact there’s a need for such an installation to see local ballgames.
But with Beisbolandia Fernandez appears to head down the same path which led to the scandals of Sunland, and the Artificial Island, again ignoring the long list of the country’s priorities
SOURCE: diariolibre.com
From: United States
The reason to seek money abroad is because the DR is at the stage of insolvency due to the high level of theft by government officals ala the way from Leonel and down.
Has no one ever asked how from the offical income as president of the DR he has amassed a multi million dollar portfolio in his and his wife's name.
From: Dominican Republic, No Spin Zone
It is difficult to talk about a stadium for baseball when people are hungry
Written by: Cacique, 2 Dec 2009 9:33 AM
From: Dominican Republic
Big chief Fernandez spend too much wampum, papoose hungry, squaw can't buy kasabi.
From: Dominican Republic
I am all for Baseball Land but not at the cost of children dying of dengue, malaria, H1N1, leptospirosis, of people dying in public hospitals for lack of basic medicine, and children attending classes under tree and in dilapidated buildings with no running water or electricity. Once he has solved these problems, he has my blessing to build baseball land at the right price, not the inflated one they are proposing.
From: United States
malva, none of the issues you describe are sexy. Fernandez specializes in quick projects, which can be directly attributed to him, further bolstering his legacy. he has no interest in long term projects, lest other political figures receive some of the credit down the line. that is why, in certain respects,the DR will be stuck in the middle ages for decades to come. the eastern countries have 10 and 25 year development plans, and successive governments continue programs initiated by predecesors, regardless of political affiliation. here, each president, or political party, is into the business of building monuments to their tenure, all the while ignoring the more substantive needs of society.
From: United States
dreadlocks good assessment I have to agree. We need to focus on long term goals but our leaders want the masses kept uneducated and in the dark. It works well for them as we can see but eventually enough will become educated enough to realize these people are scum and we need real leadership looking out for the people and future of our country. May god give us this person quickly as we need it right away and badly.
Written by: bernies, 2 Dec 2009 11:00 AM
From: United States, key west fl
One thing for sure is that he will never be elect it as president of this country again. How can we a pour country finance a project that is only to intend it to benefit the rich when the New York Yankee build their own stadium. but the president has to go way out to Portugal to get a 150mils loan. Did anybody heard the story about the Santiago hospital were one of the patients bed had worms. Well I think it will it had a better use to use that money on medicine and hospital beds than ona baseball stadium something without any return.
Written by: xwill7, 2 Dec 2009 11:01 AM
From: United States, El cuarto bate
will there be a street vendor selling empanadas and PED's in front of the stadium?
Written by: juanb, 2 Dec 2009 11:23 AM
From: Dominican Republic
Typical, sadly typical. Another no tender project to enrich his friends. Does LF get a kickback? Sure seems that way.
I don't really watch of a lot of baseball. However, whenever I do I am always impressed by the fact that there is nobody in the stadium watching. The teams have priced the seats out of the reach of most fans.
Can't wait to see this boondogle.
From: Dominican Republic
xwill7, just out of curiosity, what's PED?
to dreadlocks: you are so right, I feel so sorry for my people, they (we) believed this man to be the "messiah", the savior who would rescue us from the bad guys and like in a horror movie, he was the bad guy, there's no worse person than a bad person disguised as a good person, pardon the redundancy.
to veronica: we all know the next president is MVM, or MVP as he likes to be called, is he the person who will save this country??? I have my doubts.
to bernies: I share your sentiments, unfortunately the person in power doesn't
Written by: xwill7, 2 Dec 2009 11:36 AM
From: United States, El cuarto bate
malva,
PED is Performance enhancing drugs... Anything that is banned from MLB can be called PED. Its what M. Ramirez, AROD, Sosa, Ortiz, Tejada, and many other unknown Dominicans used
Written by: BASTA, 2 Dec 2009 11:42 AM
From: Dominican Republic, =Ghetto/Legalize Drugs
bernies, = Please, of course we will vote for him the grand Puffta . My great grand aunt works for INAPA and once I was given a chicken. Does that make us stupid or grand stupid idiots
From: United States
What about "Chopilandia" or perhaps "Lambolandia", allthough Li-onel is a rokie in "Robarlandia" he already built a "Metrolandia".
0000
This is just a "Bullshitlandia".
Written by: xwill7, 2 Dec 2009 1:20 PM
From: United States, El cuarto bate
Is this for the WBC? the traffic will be like a parking lot
From: United States, Fresh Water Paradise-NY Finger Lakes
I disagree with the premise of the whole idea behind this stadium undertaking. However, for a 3rd world country-which DR clearly represents, it would be totally unrealistic to place development projects on hold until all present ailments afflicting Dominican society have been resolved.
Anybody with such expectations should probably pack up and move to Switzerland or Norway....they'll be right at home there, especially in Norway. Hope you won't mind high taxes, however, and fact that you will never become rich there-no matter how hard you might work! Certainly, not a place for private entrepreneurs, but paradise to "abc" and his followers.
MJEV.
Written by: casimiro, 2 Dec 2009 2:14 PM
From: United States
...
Written by: casimiro, 2 Dec 2009 2:19 PM
From: United States
Prior to LF becoming Pres. years ago, I had some serious hope for DR. I thought (at least I bought it) he was the real deal. Sadly enough, I have, as most intelligent people would, smelled the Dominican coffee.
Once again, trickery at its best. While I like to say that some of the forward thinking and vision displayed by LF sounded promising, but in my opinion has fallen short. The country as we all know remains painstakingly in disarray. A far cry from the vision he so vehemently proposed as he mastered the big "Close" on his sales pitch during his campaigns. Both his oratory skills and astuteness worked for the benefit of a few.
Today we are the same DR, except with a different face, El Metro, power shortages; Europeans cashing in from our humble spirits as they embark on wider shores and profit platforms; corruption at an all time high, narco-traffic cruising through the "Malecon;" 12-18 year old boys exploited and "juiced" like never before in the hopes of a MLB Grandslam.
Written by: josean, 2 Dec 2009 2:23 PM
From: United States, Dedicating 4 more years to fighting the Dictatorship of the Narco PLD Mafia
I am confused is he committed to Baseball-landia or METROLANDIA?
Although he should be Committed anyway!
From: United States
casimiro, that is one of the most eloquent pieces of writing that i have had the pleasure of reading in a long while. sadly, you might find yourself on the wrong side of the academic divide by alluding to the foreign interests who capitalise upon the humble spirit of the local people to exploit them for profit reasons. some posters on this board, who know who they are, believe that that is the way God meant it to be, and lashes out at anyone who dare speak out against injustice. but, i am a believer in the words of DaVinci, who, paraphrased, reminds us that men who do not castigate injustice command it to be done.
Written by: xwill7, 2 Dec 2009 3:28 PM
From: United States, El cuarto bate
casimiro,
I feel the same. I thought that LF was going to change somethings. I did not expect him to fix all problems but I thought that we would have been moving foward. Instead there are still huge pot holes and streets that were promised to be fix and power situation is still bad. I think in DR many presidents make projects so that their name stays printed on the project for ever. Like the presa de moncion has hippos name on it for ever. I think that helps their ego
Written by: josean, 2 Dec 2009 5:29 PM
From: United States, Dedicating 4 more years to fighting the Dictatorship of the Narco PLD Mafia
x,
I am glad that you are finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel and realized it is the on coming METRO with Captain LIE-onel Fernandez at the controls about to derail the country!
Casimiro THAN YOU for enlightening brother X!
From: United States
Today we are the same DR, except with a different face, El Metro, power shortages; Europeans cashing in from our humble spirits as they embark on wider shores and profit platforms; corruption at an all time high, narco-traffic cruising through the "Malecon;" 12-18 year old boys exploited and "juiced" like never before in the hopes of a MLB Grandslam.
0000
This never happened during "Trujillo" or "El gallito con Mosquillo"
Written by: josean, 2 Dec 2009 5:50 PM
From: United States, Dedicating 4 more years to fighting the Dictatorship of the Narco PLD Mafia
It is interesting to notice the conspicuous absence of the open and closeted LIE-onelitas at DT!
Where are the defenders of this most perfect Presidente!
Written by: josean, 2 Dec 2009 5:51 PM
From: United States, Dedicating 4 more years to fighting the Dictatorship of the Narco PLD Mafia
Even Banistan sounds like josean!
Written by: Blutarsky, 2 Dec 2009 9:19 AM
From: United States, Faber College Double Secret Probation
It is difficult to talk about a stadium for baseball when people are hungry
Yes. there is still hope!
From: Denmark
Glomar
I can assure you there are quite a few very rich private entrepreneurs in Norway. Of course some of them are wining about taxes as we all do but still they stick to the country and the system. Better have some just distribution of means so that you can wake up to the fact that at least all are eating well, even though some exploit the system. In Gods own country 30-40 millions do not have the luxury right now to have a decent meal, but the 1-2 % outrageously rich couldnt care less and wouldnt pay a dime more in tax to help out. So much for humanity.
From: Dominican Republic, No Spin Zone
we will be sending all the poor people to Scandinavia you have better social programs to take care of them ...Thank You Scandi
Written by: josean, 2 Dec 2009 6:14 PM
From: United States, Dedicating 4 more years to fighting the Dictatorship of the Narco PLD Mafia
Here more on this Infamy:
Juan Marichal Sports Complex
President Leonel Fernandez has signed a commercial loan with Portuguese bank Caixa Geral de Deposito for US$80 million for the construction of the Juan Marichal Sports Complex in Santo Domingo, as reported in El Caribe. Earlier it had been reported the loan would be for US$75 million. The complex is estimated to cost US$150 million. It involves the remodeling of the Quisqueya ballpark, the construction of a 175-room 4-star hotel, 280 apartments in six 14-19-floor residential high-rises and a baseball museum. The contractors selected by the government, Edivisa, S.A. and Visacasa, S.A. Engineers and Architects Rodriguez Sandoval & Associates will be responsible for the construction, working with a Portuguese partner, Visabeira.
Company chief executive, engineer Rodriguez Sandoval is also known for his work at the Malecon Center high-rise hotel and residential complex in Santo Domingo.
Continued:
Written by: josean, 2 Dec 2009 6:15 PM
From: United States, Dedicating 4 more years to fighting the Dictatorship of the Narco PLD Mafia
The baseball complex contract, deemed very controversial, has already been approved by Congress, according to a report in El Caribe. Questions have been raised about whether the development is a priority, and the fact that government guarantees and resources are being invested in this predominantly private project.
The project has also been criticized for lack of transparency and on the grounds that the government's real estate contribution is being undervalued, tenders have not been held, and there are doubts about the viability of a hotel in the area. The priority of government investment in what is primarily a real estate project is also being questioned.
The plan is to complete the remodeling of the stadium, at a cost of US$20 million in time for the 2012 deadline for being considered for the World Baseball Championship program.
Continued:
Written by: josean, 2 Dec 2009 6:17 PM
From: United States, Dedicating 4 more years to fighting the Dictatorship of the Narco PLD Mafia
During the signing in Portugal, architect Joaquin Geronimo of the DR National Housing Bank (BNV) said the signing of the agreement strengthened business links between Portugal and the DR.
Source DR1
¿ No Era Y Que Pa’Lante Que Íbamos?
From: United States, Fresh Water Paradise-NY Finger Lakes
Blutarsky the Great,
I understand "abc" has already packed his bags, bought one-way ticket to Oslo.
I am expecting VivaCuba, others to soon follow.
From: Denmark
Blut,
Please do not mention it - we are already overrun, at least Oslostan. Norwegian politicians do have only one thing to brag about around the world that is 1% of BNP in foreign aid. So all the dictators and corrupt regimes around the world are in good hands. Maybe so with DR? Shit, I forgot, they have one more thing to brag about, Nobel Peace Price, oh hell go Fjuck the Fjords Torbjørn. And they sure as hell gone be pissed if LF starts picking up the Peacemaker business.
From: United States, Fresh Water Paradise-NY Finger Lakes
Viking,
You have a great government system, if that's what you are into.
I am still shocked you've left your nirvana to inhabit mine, with all of its short-comings; electricity shortages; poor infrastructure; abject poverty; corruption galore; abundant ineptness; crime; drugs; bad roads; poor medical service; sub-par education; inaccessible METRO; etc; etc.
I shall remain skeptical of a government system premised on everyone "just having enough." I can't fathom a system lacking ambition, especially one that assumes that, beyond birth, we are all equal. I don't believe for one minute that we all share an equal capacity for success-we clearly don't! Some of us are born to be leaders; others to be followers; yet others to be leeches and burden on society.
I am a conservative capitalist and champion of free enterprise and law of supply and demand regulating market. Communism and similar systems don't work and even Chinese and Russians have abandoned it.
MJEV.
Written by: alex1489, 3 Dec 2009 3:49 AM
From: United States
why not build power plant in that way the economic will pump up. we are in the new millenium and we still living in 1492 or maybe before that. the country need electricity, need corporation that can employ all this people without a job. but what their doing is packing all the money for themself of course it will be evertyhing in they house why to worry about the others their all ready got pay in their campaing with a bottle of ron and a couple hundred dollars now that i have the power who cares it pay off.
From: Dominican Republic, No Spin Zone
scandi we are counting on you ....to take up the slack .....Oslostan can accommodate them
Written by: pelaut, 3 Dec 2009 8:37 AM
From: United States
And Bartolo Colón's stadium stands empty and unused?
Written by: xwill7, 3 Dec 2009 1:44 PM
From: United States, El cuarto bate
DR is home to some of MLB's highest paid players. I think the MLB players can afford to chip in and help pay this bill
From: United States, New Haven, CT
This is the dumbest Idea ever...
Why build a complex where none of the locals can afford to visit?
just so that foreigners can come and stay for a weekend?
Still only 4% of the GDP goes to Education, no wonder engineers in DR end up in poverty, who the hell wants a D student to build a high rise??
I'm sorry mr. president but you just F^&*&% Up again....
SMH.....
Written by: josean, 3 Dec 2009 10:46 PM
From: United States, Dedicating 4 more years to fighting the Dictatorship of the Narco PLD Mafia
Still only 4% of the GDP goes to Education,
Pardon the correction IronThinker, 4% “should” go according to the constitutional mandate but if falls far short!
Written by: josean, 3 Dec 2009 11:33 PM
From: United States, Dedicating 4 more years to fighting the Dictatorship of the Narco PLD Mafia
See what I mean:
Millions just on paper for education
Building more classrooms lags behind what was planned because the government has failed to disburse money that had been budgeted for construction in 2009, according to Listin Diario. Francisco Gonzalez, director of school infrastructure said that his department had estimated classroom construction and repair needs at RD$15.5 billion. Acknowledging budgetary problems, the Ministry of Education submitted a RD$7 billion budget in 2009 for that chapter. But the reality has been very different. The Fernandez government has only disbursed RD$2.5 billion in funds. Gonzalez is optimistic that the government will come through with the budgeted RD$7 billion this year. He said that President Fernandez ordered the Ministry of Education accounts to be protected.
Source DR1
¿Y No Era Y Que Pa’Lante Que Íbamos?
From: United States, New Haven, CT
Mathematically a 4% allocation does not make any sense, its actually quite illogical.
At least 12% should be the norm, there's no way to give growth to a robust and updated educational system with only a >%4 budget.
Sadly like someone mentioned before their planning committee lacks vision, short and long term plans have to be drafted in order to move forward.
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Has no one ever asked how from the offical income as president of the DR he has amassed a multi million dollar portfolio in his and his wife's name.
I don't really watch of a lot of baseball. However, whenever I do I am always impressed by the fact that there is nobody in the stadium watching. The teams have priced the seats out of the reach of most fans.
Can't wait to see this boondogle.
to dreadlocks: you are so right, I feel so sorry for my people, they (we) believed this man to be the "messiah", the savior who would rescue us from the bad guys and like in a horror movie, he was the bad guy, there's no worse person than a bad person disguised as a good person, pardon the redundancy.
to veronica: we all know the next president is MVM, or MVP as he likes to be called, is he the person who will save this country??? I have my doubts.
to bernies: I share your sentiments, unfortunately the person in power doesn't
PED is Performance enhancing drugs... Anything that is banned from MLB can be called PED. Its what M. Ramirez, AROD, Sosa, Ortiz, Tejada, and many other unknown Dominicans used
0000
This is just a "Bullshitlandia".
I disagree with the premise of the whole idea behind this stadium undertaking. However, for a 3rd world country-which DR clearly represents, it would be totally unrealistic to place development projects on hold until all present ailments afflicting Dominican society have been resolved.
Anybody with such expectations should probably pack up and move to Switzerland or Norway....they'll be right at home there, especially in Norway. Hope you won't mind high taxes, however, and fact that you will never become rich there-no matter how hard you might work! Certainly, not a place for private entrepreneurs, but paradise to "abc" and his followers.
MJEV.
Once again, trickery at its best. While I like to say that some of the forward thinking and vision displayed by LF sounded promising, but in my opinion has fallen short. The country as we all know remains painstakingly in disarray. A far cry from the vision he so vehemently proposed as he mastered the big "Close" on his sales pitch during his campaigns. Both his oratory skills and astuteness worked for the benefit of a few.
Today we are the same DR, except with a different face, El Metro, power shortages; Europeans cashing in from our humble spirits as they embark on wider shores and profit platforms; corruption at an all time high, narco-traffic cruising through the "Malecon;" 12-18 year old boys exploited and "juiced" like never before in the hopes of a MLB Grandslam.
Although he should be Committed anyway!
I feel the same. I thought that LF was going to change somethings. I did not expect him to fix all problems but I thought that we would have been moving foward. Instead there are still huge pot holes and streets that were promised to be fix and power situation is still bad. I think in DR many presidents make projects so that their name stays printed on the project for ever. Like the presa de moncion has hippos name on it for ever. I think that helps their ego
I am glad that you are finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel and realized it is the on coming METRO with Captain LIE-onel Fernandez at the controls about to derail the country!
Casimiro THAN YOU for enlightening brother X!
0000
This never happened during "Trujillo" or "El gallito con Mosquillo"
Where are the defenders of this most perfect Presidente!
Written by: Blutarsky, 2 Dec 2009 9:19 AM
From: United States, Faber College Double Secret Probation
It is difficult to talk about a stadium for baseball when people are hungry
Yes. there is still hope!
I can assure you there are quite a few very rich private entrepreneurs in Norway. Of course some of them are wining about taxes as we all do but still they stick to the country and the system. Better have some just distribution of means so that you can wake up to the fact that at least all are eating well, even though some exploit the system. In Gods own country 30-40 millions do not have the luxury right now to have a decent meal, but the 1-2 % outrageously rich couldnt care less and wouldnt pay a dime more in tax to help out. So much for humanity.
Juan Marichal Sports Complex
President Leonel Fernandez has signed a commercial loan with Portuguese bank Caixa Geral de Deposito for US$80 million for the construction of the Juan Marichal Sports Complex in Santo Domingo, as reported in El Caribe. Earlier it had been reported the loan would be for US$75 million. The complex is estimated to cost US$150 million. It involves the remodeling of the Quisqueya ballpark, the construction of a 175-room 4-star hotel, 280 apartments in six 14-19-floor residential high-rises and a baseball museum. The contractors selected by the government, Edivisa, S.A. and Visacasa, S.A. Engineers and Architects Rodriguez Sandoval & Associates will be responsible for the construction, working with a Portuguese partner, Visabeira.
Company chief executive, engineer Rodriguez Sandoval is also known for his work at the Malecon Center high-rise hotel and residential complex in Santo Domingo.
Continued:
The project has also been criticized for lack of transparency and on the grounds that the government's real estate contribution is being undervalued, tenders have not been held, and there are doubts about the viability of a hotel in the area. The priority of government investment in what is primarily a real estate project is also being questioned.
The plan is to complete the remodeling of the stadium, at a cost of US$20 million in time for the 2012 deadline for being considered for the World Baseball Championship program.
Continued:
Source DR1
¿ No Era Y Que Pa’Lante Que Íbamos?
I understand "abc" has already packed his bags, bought one-way ticket to Oslo.
I am expecting VivaCuba, others to soon follow.
Please do not mention it - we are already overrun, at least Oslostan. Norwegian politicians do have only one thing to brag about around the world that is 1% of BNP in foreign aid. So all the dictators and corrupt regimes around the world are in good hands. Maybe so with DR? Shit, I forgot, they have one more thing to brag about, Nobel Peace Price, oh hell go Fjuck the Fjords Torbjørn. And they sure as hell gone be pissed if LF starts picking up the Peacemaker business.
You have a great government system, if that's what you are into.
I am still shocked you've left your nirvana to inhabit mine, with all of its short-comings; electricity shortages; poor infrastructure; abject poverty; corruption galore; abundant ineptness; crime; drugs; bad roads; poor medical service; sub-par education; inaccessible METRO; etc; etc.
I shall remain skeptical of a government system premised on everyone "just having enough." I can't fathom a system lacking ambition, especially one that assumes that, beyond birth, we are all equal. I don't believe for one minute that we all share an equal capacity for success-we clearly don't! Some of us are born to be leaders; others to be followers; yet others to be leeches and burden on society.
I am a conservative capitalist and champion of free enterprise and law of supply and demand regulating market. Communism and similar systems don't work and even Chinese and Russians have abandoned it.
MJEV.
Why build a complex where none of the locals can afford to visit?
just so that foreigners can come and stay for a weekend?
Still only 4% of the GDP goes to Education, no wonder engineers in DR end up in poverty, who the hell wants a D student to build a high rise??
I'm sorry mr. president but you just F^&*&% Up again....
SMH.....
Pardon the correction IronThinker, 4% “should” go according to the constitutional mandate but if falls far short!
Millions just on paper for education
Building more classrooms lags behind what was planned because the government has failed to disburse money that had been budgeted for construction in 2009, according to Listin Diario. Francisco Gonzalez, director of school infrastructure said that his department had estimated classroom construction and repair needs at RD$15.5 billion. Acknowledging budgetary problems, the Ministry of Education submitted a RD$7 billion budget in 2009 for that chapter. But the reality has been very different. The Fernandez government has only disbursed RD$2.5 billion in funds. Gonzalez is optimistic that the government will come through with the budgeted RD$7 billion this year. He said that President Fernandez ordered the Ministry of Education accounts to be protected.
Source DR1
¿Y No Era Y Que Pa’Lante Que Íbamos?
At least 12% should be the norm, there's no way to give growth to a robust and updated educational system with only a >%4 budget.
Sadly like someone mentioned before their planning committee lacks vision, short and long term plans have to be drafted in order to move forward.