Posted on 07/31/2010 5:25:44 AM PDT by Born Conservative
Gov. Ed Rendell pledged Thursday to provide up to $20 million in state funds to finance up to half the cost of repairs at Lackawanna County Stadium. Lackawanna County commissioners declined to comment on Rendell’s statement or how they would foot the rest of the bill, estimates of which have ranged from $13 million to $30 million, but Luzerne County commissioners made it clear Friday, Lackawanna will need to look elsewhere for help. Luzerne will not fund the project.
Lackawanna County Commissioner Mike Washo said Friday that he was aware of the governor’s statements, but that the commissioners have decided not to make any additional comments about the stadium besides those they made at Wednesday’s commissioners’ meeting.
The Times Leader reported that at that meeting, Washo said, “I don’t want to see another dime of county money to go into that stadium. That’s my position right now because I don’t know where it’s going to come from.”
All three Lackawanna County commissioners have said they oppose using taxpayer money to finance repairs at PNC Field, as the stadium is now known.
The $20 million Rendell promised would come from a state redevelopment reimbursement grant that would fund up to half the cost of repairs. Lackawanna County would be responsible for financing the rest, and in that respect, Luzerne County commissioners said Friday, the county is on its own.
Luzerne County Commissioner Steve Urban maintains that Luzerne County is invested in the Triple A franchise currently occupied by the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, of which it purchased half in 1986, but that the stadium is a “separate entity” which is completely owned and managed by Lackawanna County.
“At this point, I am not in the position to give a $10 million grant to Lackawanna County. Our taxpayers would be in an uproar if I did that,” Urban said. “It would be like us asking Lackawanna County to split the cost of the arena. They would laugh.”
Urban added that former Luzerne County commissioners discussed building a jointly-owned stadium in 1986, but that Lackawanna County opted to go it alone.
Urban added that he does not wish to see the franchise sold to fund repairs, an option that has been proposed to possibly fund the project, as that could allow the franchise’s new owners to leave the area at any time.
Luzerne County Commissioner Thomas Cooney said he thought Rendell’s statement presented “a wonderful opportunity for Scranton and Lackawanna County,” but the statement does not impact his decision-making process regarding the issue.
Cooney echoed Urban in stating the county has no obligation to assist Lackawanna in funding repairs.
“We’re dealing with Luzerne County’s residents; we’re dealing with Luzerne County’s money,” Cooney said.
He also said he does not wish to see the franchise sold, but added that “if the franchise were sold, we would be entitled to half the proceeds.”
John McGee, founder of Northeast Baseball and an instrumental figure in bringing a Triple-A franchise to the area in 1986, said Lackawanna County commissioners should not jump to the conclusion that selling the franchise is the only option to finance repairs without taking on additional debt.
McGee said the county could sell only the rights to manage and take profits from the team for a number of years, much as it sells concessions and naming rights now, but maintain rights to appreciation and relocation.
Ping
ping
Good ol’ Fast Eddie never met a stadium he wouldn’t throw tax dollars at.
Gov’t should be out of the sports industry.
Absolutely.
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