Archives: Sept. 10-16, 2006
Sarasota County agrees to tax increase to fund new Reds spring facility
Posted Sept. 14, 2006
The Sarasota County Commission agreed to play ball on Wednesday by voting to increase the Tourist Development Tax by a penny to help fund a new $54-million ballpark and spring-training facility to house the Cincinnati Reds and the Sarasota Reds (High Class A; Florida State League). Half of the tax increase will go to fund the facility, while the other half will be diverted to tourism spending. There’s some debate as to how much the tax will yield: the county says $15 million is the correct number, but now the officials putting together the ballpark package say they expect to see $17.6 million. The funding breaks down as follows: $15 million in state sales-tax-rebate money, $10 million from the Reds, $9 million from the city, $9.6 million from land leases surrounding the complex, and $17.5 million from the tourism tax. There’s still some paperwork regarding the project (specifically, the agreements between the local governments need to be ironed out), but now the city and the Reds can move ahead with an application for the $15 million in state funds, due next month. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
New for 2007: Chukchansi Park
Posted Sept. 14, 2006
Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino has bought naming rights for the former Grizzlies Stadium, which will now be called Chukchansi Park. The 15-year, $16 million deal between the casino and the Fresno Grizzlies (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) results in an obligation of $1 million a year over the life of the agreement. In addition, $1 million of the total investment will be funded in the first year for ballpark capital improvements and deferred maintenance. This agreement is one of the largest financial commitments for naming rights in Pacific Coast League (PCL) history.
"Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino is an ideal partner for the Grizzlies, as they share in our vision for the future and the potential growth of the stadium," said Chris Cummings, managing partner of the Grizzlies.
The vision for Chukchansi Park includes more ballpark events, resulting in a significant financial impact on the downtown area. Additional changes include re-vamping amenities to bring the resort-style feel Chukchansi represents. More from the Fresno Bee.
Cardinals, St. Louis leaders working on new plan for Ballpark Village
Posted Sept. 14, 2006
More on the public assistance sought by the St. Louis Cardinals to build Ballpark Village, a mixed-use development slated for the old Busch Stadium site. City leaders are proclaiming their reluctance to put any public money into the project, so the Cards and developer Cordish Co. are seeking tax-increment financing, which would steer further tax revenues generated from the project back to the developers. One issue for the city has been how the scale of the project changed: originally the Cards said it would cost $60 million, but now the price tag of the project has escalated to $650 million and is being pitched by the Cardinals as something that could change the face of downtown St. Louis.
Keep ballpark plans on track, on budget
Posted Sept. 14, 2006
The Tennessean — which caused a minor ruckus by misreporting on the development surrounding a new ballpark for the Nashville Sounds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) — is now telling all parties involved to keep the ballpark project on budget. It sounds like that’s the goal of all involved — Struever Bros., the Sounds, the city and Mayor Bill Purcell — and the editorial falls into the same trap as the original misleading article: it turns a normal part of the development process (in this case, mapping out traffic flow and determining who should pay for a new bridge) into some perceived crisis.
Lugnuts, Toronto renew PDC
Posted Sept. 14, 2006
Though it hasn’t been officially announced via a press release, we’ve been told the Lansing Lugnuts (Low Class A; Midwest League) and the Toronto Blue Jays have extended their player-development deal.
Osprey, Diamondbacks extend affiliation
Posted Sept. 14, 2006
Apparently concerns about the facilities in Missoula didn’t scare off the Diamondbacks, as the Missoula Osprey (rookie; Pioneer League) and Arizona extended their player-development deal through the 2010 season. The Diamondbacks were ready to walk away from Missoula and a relationship that’s existed since the D-Backs entered baseball, but plans to finally finish the ballpark convinced Diamondbacks farm director A.J. Hinch to extend the deal.
Authority will consider giving Cordaro power
Posted Sept. 14, 2006
Expanded negotiating power for majority Lackawanna County Commissioner Robert C. Cordaro in deciding on a new major-league affiliate for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons (Class AAA; International League) is expected to be on the agenda at a special noon meeting of Lackawanna County’s Multi-Purpose Stadium Authority today. Cordaro will not have final authority over an affiliation, however, as the future of the Red Barons and Lackawanna County Stadium remains in some question. Mandalay Sports Entertainment is negotiating to run the Red Barons and the ballpark on behalf of Lackawanna County, and with the Philadelphia Phillies deciding to switch affiliations to the Ottawa Lynx (Class AAA; International League) for 2007 before the team moves to Allentown in 2008, there’s a good chance the Yankees could end up in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Apparently the relationship between the Yankees front office and Franklin County officials has deteriorated to the point where New York is willing to walk away from its longtime Class AAA affiliation. Now, the hiring of Mandalay and the potential to bring in the Yankees are not related — one or the other could happen, so they’re not conditional on each other — but with Mandalay already having a relationship with the Yankees through a deal to manage the Staten Island Yankees (short season; NY-Penn League), you can see why some county officials have been quick to pair the two.