Paul Foster, one of the four owners of a potential El Paso Triple-A team, says opposition to public funding of a new downtown ballpark was expected and understandable, but a purchase of the team is at hand.
Foster, along with his wife Alejandra de la Vega Foster, businessman Woody Hunt and his son, Josh Hunt, are buying the Tucson Padres (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) from San Diego Padres minority owner Jeff Moorad and his investors, who bought the team with the intention of placing it in a new Escondido (Cal.) ballpark. That effort failed, as did Moorad’s attempt to buy the majority share of the Padres, leading to the decision to sell the Triple-A franchise. (We’re guessing Moorad and crew won’t be too sad over the sale of the team: they paid a reported $17 million for the Portland Beavers and are selling the T-Padres for $20.5 million — a number we’ve heard from several owners. Assuming the team basically broke even the last two years in Tucson, they’ll show a nice little profit.)
In recent weeks opposition to the plan to raise the local hotel tax by two percentage points to pay for a $50-million new ballpark on the current CIty Hall site has emerged, through it’s not clear how much of it is local El Paso politics and how much of it relates to the actual proposal. Foster told El Paso Inc. the opposition was not a surprise:
“I think opposition is to be expected,” Foster said. “We would like nothing more than for everybody to be supportive, but that is not the case.”
Indeed, there are some valid reasons to oppose the deal: it’s a lot of money for a single downtown project, and it leaves the location of a future City Hall hanging. Even though there’s a petition drive launched, it doesn’t appear to have enough steam to derail the process.
Under a ballpark plan passed by the city, a new $50-million ballpark could open for the 2014 season.
RELATED STORIES: Opposition to El Paso ballpark emerges; Hoteliers: We don’t want to pay for new El Paso ballpark; El Paso group: we’re one step closer to buying PCL team; Pacific Coast League expected to decide El Paso bid for baseball this week; El Paso: Let’s sell Cohen Stadium to Tigua tribe; T-Padres back in Kino Stadium for 2013; One side effect of new El Paso ballpark: return of UTEP baseball; El Paso ownership group pitches PCL; El Paso approves ballpark for Triple-A team; First look: El Paso ballpark renderings; Diablos casualty of new El Paso ballpark; Downtown ballpark planning moving forward in El Paso; El Paso to debate ballpark bond issue; El Paso group seeking downtown ballpark, T-Pads; Moorad to Escondido: We need quick action on ballpark; Obstacles to new ballparks in California: not as bleak as expected; Escondido moving forward with business park on proposed ballpark property; City, not Moorad group, to acquire Escondido land; Escondido mayor: Time to scrap new-ballpark plan; Moorad: Leaving Padres in Tucson a possibility; Escondido ballpark vote put off indefinitely; Escondido ballpark vote delayed;State government could kill Escondido T-Pods ballpark; New for 2011: Tucson Padres;Escondido approves Triple-A ballpark — with reservations; Moorad group, Escondido sign MOU for new ballpark; Escondido council fills vacancy in advance of ballpark vote; Crunch time for new Escondido ballpark; Padres raise ante in Escondido ballpark negotiations; Escondido ballpark vote delayed again; new council will decide; Padres make it official: Beavers to Tucson in 2011; Election shows mixed support for new Escondido ballpark; Tuesday elections could determine fate of Bevos; Bevos to Tucson for 2011; Escondido ballpark vote delayed after pollution found at site; Fate of Bevos in the air until November, maybe December; Padres pitch one-sided lease to Escondido; Escondido: Show us some money, Padres; Escondido in, San Marcos out of Bevos ballpark mix
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