“If you build it, he will come” the famous line from the movie Field of Dreams is very apropos for the current discussion surrounding the building of a baseball stadium at Clark College as part of bringing a minor league baseball team to Vancouver. The stadium will not be cheap; no construction project is these days. But it is true “if you build it, they will come.” In this case They are the “travel teams” from across the west, and the country. For those of who don’t have kids between 9 and 17 “travel teams” are the way kids play sports these days. Even the kids who play for the local Little League, or for their high school team spend part or all of the summer travelling the West to go from tournament to tournament. The plan to make the stadium usable for soccer as well as baseball and softball means there are many groups that will be enticed to come to Vancouver and spend money if the proposed new stadium is built. Travel teams spend money, lots of money! Trust me, I have two teenagers who play sports and my daughter’s travel team has already played multi-day tournaments in Seattle and Santa Clara and San Diego California this summer. They gotta sleep somewhere and they gotta eat! That means spending money in the local market, our market if the stadium gets built.
With the addition of a new stadium at Clark College, Vancouver would have two top flight baseball fields (Propstra being the other one) across the street from each other and tournament organizers and teams consider the quantity and quality of the facilities when picking the locations for their tournaments. Depending on the league there is also the Luke Jensen Sports Park being constructed on 78th Street east of Hazel Dell which will have an artificial surface similar to that proposed for the new facility.
The entertainment tax of 5% seems a reasonable trade off to get a community asset that will not only generate new revenue sources; not to mention will also provide our local teams with a top notch facility to use year round. Some have said this is not what the city or county should be doing during this tough economic climate. To the contrary, this is exactly what they should be doing, looking for ways to generate jobs and revenue through a discretionary tax. Jobs will be created by the construction and operation of the facility, money will come into the community from outside Clark County not just for the minor league baseball games but from the travel teams and tournaments that can be held in part at the new stadium.
Medford Oregon built a new community park with several full, artificial turf, lighted baseball fields. They sold the naming rights to a cell phone company and now Medford hosts baseball and softball tournaments throughout the summer and fall resulting in millions of dollars in revenue for the city. “The 633 teams from outside the Rogue Valley that visited Medford (in 2010) spent nearly $4.2 million, which does not factor in a "ripple effect."” (Medford Parks & Recreation Dept.)
Not everyone is a baseball fan and there are surely other needs in our community. But you don’t have to be a baseball fan to support the building of the stadium. The current plan has the minor league team paying 30% of the cost of the stadium with the balance to be paid through the entertainment tax revenue for debt service on privately secured financing to be arranged by Short Season LLC. Money is not being taken from other projects or programs. The 5% tax is really a user fee that everyone has the power to pay, by attending, or not pay by not attending. The slight increase in cost is unlikely to make a difference when someone is deciding to go to the movies, paying $10.50 instead of $10.00 . An exception for non-profits has been discussed and where all the proceeds go to the non-profit this would make sense, as we rely more and more on these non-profits to provide services and in some cases entertainment, to our community.
We can’t be like the pols in Washington. So narrowly focused as to lose the big picture. The stadium proposal so far looks like a positive step forward in creating a viable public-private opportunity with lasting benefits to the community and the potential for real economic stimulus for Clark County. To oppose the proposed facility because there is a “tax” on it or because you favor some other project is to be like the disconnected pols in D.C who can only see what they’ve painted on the inside of their tinted glasses. Other projects do warrant consideration and action and perhaps the revenue from the stadium operation will help fund some of those projects. We have to start somewhere and in a time when very little is happening on the development and construction front, a project with very little risk that will generate jobs, revenue and provide our community with a first class facility the opportunity shouldn’t be passed up.
Friday Fish Wrap (with the usual homage to Herb Caen)
Nelson Holmberg knee deep in the Land Here Live Here campaign ….Julie Kummer getting ready to work her magic…. John Bockmier correcting copy and getting ready for some
Football.…Jamie Reel sounding the Alarm and following up……Jim Mains, the Daily Insider ???……Kim Capeloto saving Ed Lynch and really enjoying jello …. Jason Beatty closing the deal….. Mike Bomar chasing down the late ones and warming up his pipes….. Linda Reid off to buy the wine and offering up goodie bags …..KC Fuller keeping the beer flowing at the Concerts in the Park….Jamie Howsley getting it right the second time……Robert Stewart trying to track down “the boys” and sharing the joys of fatherhood-$$….Is Kenny Vance still playing and how many keepers does he want this year??….A well deserved salute for Hal Dengerink next week, THANK YOU, HAL and Go Cougs!
