“We can’t expect 17,500 people [come] to a ballgame and not have anyone go to the bathroom,” Jay F. Morris, an executive aide to Prince George’s County Executive William W. Gullett, told The Washington Post.
“We’re going to open [on schedule],” he told The Post as he paced about the plant’s site in a hard hat.
The next day, after the necessary parts were installed, Maryland health secretary Neil Solomon granted permission for the plant on the Patuxent River near Upper Marlboro to begin operation, while also making it clear he wouldn’t hesitate to shut it — and the new arena it served — down.
“There’s no question that if the thing malfunctions, [Solomon] will blow the whistle in the third quarter,” a spokesman for the state health department said.
That wouldn’t be necessary. The only notable blockage when Capital Centre opened to a sellout crowd of 17,500 two nights later was Elvin Hayes swatting a pair of shots in the final five seconds to preserve the Bullets’ 98-96 win over the Seattle SuperSonics.
‘A building with a heart’
In October 1964, Pollin, who had made a fortune as a contractor, and two partners purchased the NBA’s Baltimore Bullets from Dave Trager. The team became a success in the standings, especially…
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