The Class AAA Pacific Coast League has approved the move of the Tucson Padres to El Paso in 2014 — if the City Council approves a lease at today’s meeting, a decision where the outcome is still up in the air. This email from league offices, as released by team purchaser MountainStar Sports (Josh Hunt […]
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Rickey: El Paso could lose Triple-A team if ballpark not approved
The fate of a Triple-A team in El Paso is dependent on City Council approval of a ballpark lease tonight; otherwise, says PCL President Branch Rickey, league approval of the move could be rescinded. His stance was sent via email to El Paso City Manager Joyce Wilson yesterday: “If the City Council were to put off […]
MountainStar: Deal to bring Triple-A to El Paso could fall through if ballpark not approved
With support on the City Council for a new downtown ballpark wobbly, MountainStar Sports warns that bringing a Triple-A team to El Paso is contingent on a ballpark lease being passed Tuesday — but a key council member has declared her opposition to any deal without a public vote. With Mayor John Cook poised to […]
El Paso mayor: I can still scuttle ballpark deal
El Paso Mayor John Cook says he may veto a proposed deal for a new Triple-A downtown ballpark, and there’s a chance the City Council may lack the votes to override it. Cook, an opponent of building a new ballpark for the relocating Tucson Padres (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), has the power to veto […]
Lease terms unveiled in El Paso
A new Triple-A team in El Paso would pay $200,000 annually in rent under the terms of a proposed 25-year lease for a new downtown ballpark. The proposed lease between the city and MountainStar Sports Group would run for 25 years, with options for three five-year extensions. The team would pay $200,000 in yearly rent, with […]
Petition to halt El Paso ballpark submitted, but may be too late
Another set of petitions designed to stop construction of a new El Paso ballpark has been submitted, but organizers may be too late to stop the process. Petition-drive organizers submitted enough signatures to force the El Paso City Council to consider an ordinance that would halt the demolition of City Hall to make way for […]
El Paso moves forward with ballpark planning
The city of El Paso is moving forward with planning on a new Class AAA ballpark, hiring Populous to produce conceptual designs for the downtown location. The issue addressed by these designs: whether a new ballpark would fit on a small five-acre footprint current occupied by City Hall. The answer: yes, it will. From a […]
El Paso group pledges profits to charity
The word from MountainStar Sports Group was brief, but the intent is clear: two of the potential Triple-A team owners will give their profits to charity if a downtown El Paso ballpark is built. There’s a been a toxic environment lately surrounding a new downtown ballpark, with opponents slinging anything against the wall to see if […]
Ginning up ballpark opposition
There’s always some level of opposition to a new ballpark; NIMBY folks usually aren’t hard to find. But sometimes the media goes out of its way to find them, as we’re seeing in Prince William County and El Paso. Take, for example, this report from the Examiner. The headline holds lot of promise: “New stadium […]
Effort to thwart new El Paso ballpark falls short
A petition drive to put the issue of a new El Paso ballpark directly to voters — and changing the deal with the potential owners of a Triple-A team retroactively — came up short. Organizers, who also put together an “Occupy City Hall” movement in recent days to also express their displeasure, needed to come […]
Protesters to “Occupy City Hall” over new El Paso ballpark
Upset that city voters aren’t being asked to approve a $50-million ballpark for a Class AAA team, El Paso activists are planning an “Occupy City Hall” protest for next Monday. The issue: the city went ahead and negotiated a new downtown ballpark for a local group buying and relocating the Tucson Padres (Class AAA; Pacific […]
Hotel tax on El Paso ballot; no direct choice for voters
The El Paso City Council voted to include a provision on the fall ballot to raise the hotel tax to pay for a Class AAA ballpark, but voters will not directly vote on whether a ballpark should be built. The plan all along was to ask voters to approve a two-percentage-point increase in the city’s […]
Will El Paso ballpark spur downtown development? Insiders of mixed mind
One rationale for building a $50-million ballpark in downtown El Paso for the relocating Tucson Padres (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League): to spur economic development. Will it work? The city is moving ahead with a plan to build a new ballpark at the current City Hall location and finding a new home for local government […]