A dispute between the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees and ballpark concessionaire Concessions Plus has the team terminating a lease and severing ties with the concessionaire.
A dispute between the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (Class AAA; International League) and ballpark concessionaire Concessions Plus Inc. (CPI) has the team terminating a lease to a club and the relationship with the concessionaire.
The dispute, basically, is over money — or, rather, how much money Concessions Plus owes to the Lackawanna County Multi-Purpose Stadium Authority and SWB Yankees. Concessions Plus held the comcession lease to PNC FIeld and the ballpark’s Stadium Club when Mandalay Baseball Properties took over management of the ballpark and the team. Concessions Plus was granted a rent reduction in 2006 tied to fewer events held in the offseason at the ballpark: when grass was installed, fewer events were held on nongame days to prevent damage to the turf. In addition, Concessions Plus says the club never reached promised turnstile counts that would have triggered an automatic rent increase; Mandalay says it did. In the end, it’s alleged CPI owes $182,400 in back lease payments.
The entire situation, it seems, got out of hand after Concessions Plus employees removed equipment from the ballpark Stadium Club, including 13 flat-screen TVs, concession equipment, computers and more. As part of the 2005 lease agreement, CPI promised to spend $2 million on new equipment; CPI admits it invested less ($1.3 milion or so) and is entitled to the return of all the equipment. Mandalay and filed a criminal complant against Concessions Plus, leading to a situation where locks were changed and the ballpark was guarded 24 hours a day by local policemen on Mandalay’s dime. CPI, predictably, is countersuing.
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