The process of relocating the Montreal Expos continued last Thursday as the three areas vying for the franchise sent delegations to meet with Major League Baseball’s relocation committee.

Representatives from D.C., Portland, Ore., and northern Virginia gave presentations on the economic capacity of their respective areas to become the Expos’ new home in 2004. Topics discussed included stadium sites, public financing for those stadiums and other financial details.

Bobby Goldwater, the executive director of the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission, said the D.C. delegation’s meeting lasted two and a half hours. It was the first formal opportunity for the group to make its proposal for the Expos after an informal meeting in January.

“We felt very good about the presentation that we made and the conversation that we had,” Goldwater said. “They have to digest and review all the information they received from the three presentations,” Goldwater said. “So we’ll be standing by with anything the committee might need.”

Goldwater said he hopes to hear back from the committee in mid-April after baseball’s regular season begins. In the meantime, the D.C. delegation will remain busy.

“There’s a lot still to do,” Goldwater said. “We’ll continue to have meetings, we’ll be refining the evaluation of (stadium) sites and we’ll be looking at how to put forth legislation (for public funding).”