Obama's inauguration ball, costliest in US history - News18
Obama's inauguration ball, costliest in US history
Obama's inauguration ball, costliest in US history
News18
First published: January 16, 2009, 2:47 PM IST                           | Updated: January 16, 2009
The US Presidential inauguration is expected to cost 150 million dollars.
Washington: While America battles one of the worst recession in recent years, president-elect Barack Obama may just add on to the financial crunch in his inauguration as President of the United States.
His inauguration ceremony on January 20th is expected to cost a whopping 150 million dollars, making it the most expensive in American History.
Part of the spending includes emergency funding announced by the White House to help with the soaring costs. The surge in spending is partly because of Obama's decision to make the event as accessible to the public as possible.
Obama's inauguration expenses will overshadow his predecessor's 42.3 million dollars that were spent on George W Bush's inauguration in 2005 and 33 million dollars on Bill Clinton's in 1993.
Around 1.5 to two million people are expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the United States' first African American president.
Here's what to expect, put in numbers:
One ton each of chocolate and cheese.
About 1,500 cases of beer.
Eight hundred pounds (363 kilograms) of bison.
Those are just a few items that the Marriott Wardman Park, Washington's largest hotel, is stocking for the 49,000 meals it expects to serve January 17 through Inauguration Day.
The hotel is among many businesses and government agencies trying to quantify whatever they can before President-elect Barack Obama's swearing-in on January 20.
"It's just amazing," said Christopher Otway, the Wardman's catering director.
"The chef hands you the list and says these are the quantities they need and you say, 'Oh my God!'"
For inaugural planners, dealing with the numbers at first was daunting, said Peter Gage, parade director for the Presidential Inaugural Committee.
The trick to keeping track? "You've got to break it down," Gage said.
A rundown of the numbers, including more than a few estimates:
$40 million, the estimated cost of the inaugural parade, balls, opening ceremonies, giant television screens on National Mall and other expenses for the Presidential Inaugural Committee.
432, total Presidential Inaugural Committee staff members.
0, how many of the free 240,000 tickets that have been distributed thus far for the swearing-in ceremony. They go out this coming week.
58, law-enforcement and other agencies working on security.
8,000, District of Columbia police officers on duty, and those hired from departments around the country.
1,000, US Park Police officers on duty, and those hired from outside departments.
550, Metro transit police on duty, and those hired from outside departments.
10,000, National Guardsmen helping law enforcement agencies in and around the city.
20,000, passengers Metro trains can carry per hour on Inauguration Day.
2 million, inauguration subway maps Metro is printing.
10,000, charter buses expected to descend on the city.
600, hotel rooms left in Washington.
90,000, unique hits that Destination D.C., the city's tourism bureau, has received on its inauguration Web site.
13,000, military and civilian participants in the inaugural parade, including marching bands.
112, light bulbs replaced in lampposts on Pennsylvania Avenue parade route.
10, large screens broadcasting swearing-in on the National Mall.
1,000, vendors so far who have received licensed spots to sell wares around parade route and city streets.
15,000 to 18,000, volunteers helping Presidential Inaugural Committee around the city.
4,100, minimum number of portable toilets available to the public.
10, official inaugural balls.
12,000, eggs that chefs at the Willard InterContinental Hotel will use for meals from Jan. 17 through the inauguration.
10,000, square footage (930 square meters) of the swearing-in stage.
6, number of bicycle rickshaws D.C. Pedicab plans to operate.
(With inputs from CNN-IBN and AP)