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Plan B for Bears: Work on Yakima ballpark plan

Yakima BearsWith the defeat of a new-ballpark in Clark County yesterday, the Yakima Bears (short season; Northwest League) ownership say they will work on a ballpark solution in Yakima.

Yesterday the Clark County Board of Commissioners voted down a 5 percent admissions tax that would have partially funded a new ballpark for the Bears in suburban Portland, one of the more inviting open markets in Minor League Baseball. The Bears had worked with the board and local business leaders on the plan for a $19.5 million ballpark on the Clark College campus.

With that effort seemingly dead for now, the Bears say they’ll work on improving facilities in Yakima, according to the Yakima Herald:

“We’ve been in a mode where all options are on the table since mid-September … Now, we can move on,” said Bears GM K.L. Wombacher. “We’ve maintained that we’ve never even had a foot out the door. We like it here and want to be here long-term, we just haven’t seen the commitment (from Yakima).”

The defeat of the tax is expected to give a boost to another effort to being affiliated ball to the Portland area, this one in Milwaukie. The plan from Milwaukie calls for 4,000-seat ballpark to be built on the Portland-Milwaukie light-rail corridor at a a state-owned maintenance yard. The site also includes a 1938 historic structure that could be converted to a brewpub by a prominent local vendor. Mike Higgins, former senior vice president of Portland’s PGE Park, has been working on the plan. Currently Milwaukie officials are seeking public input into the proposal. Milwaukie has also been working with another Northwest League team on the proposal.

RELATED STORIES: Admissions tax voted down in Clark County; Milwaukie seeks public input on new ballpark; Milwaukie moves ahead with ballpark-feasibility study; Clark County postpones ballpark hearing; County scales back commitment to Portland-area ballpark; Competing ballpark plans in Portland; New Portland-area ballpark could provide economical bump: study; Clark County reverses course; will exclusively negotiate with Bears; Clark County passes on exclusive negotiations with Bears; opposition to new ballpark rises; Funding plan emerges for new Clark County ballpark; Yakima Bears to Portland area

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