After months and months of deliberation and study, the Yakima Bears are proposing a new $23-million ballpark on a former Boise Cascade storage site and city landfill. All of the funding would come from the team and state economic-development funds.
After months and months of deliberation and study, the Yakima Bears (short season; Northwest League) are proposing a new $23-million ballpark on a former Boise Cascade storage site and city landfill.
The ballpark would feature 3,000 seats, 10 suites, a first-base party deck, and a multipurpose design that could include concerts and ice skating the winter. The design is from HKS (Dallas).
The Bears have also stepped forward with a funding plan. First, the team is willing to spend $5 million on the new ballpark. Second, because the Boise Cascade property is a former city landfill, any redevelopment efforts are eligible for up to $15 million in state funding, Third, the team has identified $6 million in diverted sales-tax revenue from the state's Supporting Investments in Economic Diversification, or SIED program. No land costs are involved; the three owners of the property would donate it to the city. The Bears would manage the facility; the city would own it. No city general funds would be used to construct or maintain the ballpark.