A bid by local businessmen to buy the Lowell Spinners (short season A; NY-Penn League) from Drew Weber has fallen through, but other local investors are now looking to purchase the franchise.
Weber put the team up for sale at the end of the 2015 season and put an emphasis on finding local buyers. John Chemaly, president and founder of Trinity EMS, and Michael Kuenzler, owner of Heroes Uniforms and All Sports Promotions, as well as other local businessmen agreed to a $9 million purchase price. But they backed out of the deal, through a sale to another local businessperson remains in the works, reports the Lowell Sun:
Kuenzler, however, stressed that the team owner, Drew Weber, remains in negotiations to sell the team to another local resident.
Calling it a “very, very, very tough decision,” Weber announced at the end of the team’s 2015 season that he had decided to sell the Spinners after 19 years of ownership during which he, his late wife, Joann, and the team became a part of the fabric of the city.
“The day had to come,” Weber said at the time. “It was inevitable that it had to end. It’s not fair to the team if you’re not running it right. It’s been tougher and tougher the last couple of years because I haven’t been spending enough time in Lowell.”…
“There is a local group still involved, doing due diligence,” said Kuenzler. “And for me, a local guy, it’s critical for the city and the region that the team is sold to a local group that will keep the team playing at LeLacheur Park. I will do anything I can to help that local group.”
Weber bought the team in 1997 for $2.2 million and guided it to a successful run that saw the construction of LeLacheur Park and years with continuous sellouts.