O’Fallon may cut River City Rascals a deal on rent
The River City Rascals are hoping to strike a deal with O’Fallon that would cut the club’s rent for this year in half.
The proposed amended lease agreement calls for the Frontier League baseball club to pay half of this year’s $150,000 bill on its lease at the city-owned T.R. Hughes Ballpark. The Rascals would pay the rest in five yearly installments and only owe the city the second half if the team were sold before September 2013.
Rascals general manager Chris Franklin said the Rascals need help from the city so that it can save money for future investment in ballpark. He said that even though the city owns and maintains the ballpark, the Rascals have pumped more than $3 million into improvements there over the past three years. The ballpark is more than 10 years old.
“It needs to be updated,” Franklin said. “We’re running a healthy organization right now, but we want to prepare.”
Franklin said plumbing, the electrical work and the scoreboard all need upgrading in order to stay competitive with other venues in the midwest that are attracting high school and college tournaments and other events.
Average attendance this year–about 2,000 spectators per game–has slipped about 5 percent since the 2007 season, Franklin said. The ballpark can seat 4,000 and hold an additional 2,000 to 2,500 in standing-only sections.
Franklin said sponsorships and promotions are “pretty flat” from last year to this year. The Rascals are leading the Frontier League’s western division with a record of 31-21.
The City Council will introduce a bill to approve the amended lease during its meeting Thursday night.
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When the Rascals pay for extra police officers taxpayers will pay their rent.
Most likely the City of O’Fallon will be cutting the River City Rascal’s rent in half and the City of O’Fallon owns T. R. Hughes Ballpark. They are trying to work things out to keep the team here so that there is not a ball park with no team…. This will be an immediate loss to the City of O’Fallon of $75,000…..with the remaining $75,000 being paid of in installments of $15,000 for five years. And now, the City of O’Fallon seems to be seriously considering a 35.1 million dollar Hockey Arena in a venture with McEagle, etc., that will also be owned by the City of O’Fallon. Do we really need a Hockey Arena owned by the City? Can we afford both? Would it be wiser to concentrate on city services for our residents instead of going into the sports business? Food for thought.
The Rascals have never been profitable.
At one time they cost the city as much as 1 million a year.
They are nothing but a tax draining, privately owned, government subsidized business.
Just one a many failing enterprise businesses the city owns.
$50,000 for a Retail Business Study, $100,000 for a Park consultant, $176,000 to fire Bob Lowery, $40,000 overbid for another project and now $75,000 to pay rent. Is there something this Council can do that will benefit ALL taxpayers not just businesses (many with employees that don’t live here) or few select taxpayers.
Are the rascals really that exciting and important to the city of OFallon that we ned to cut them a break? When do the taxpayers ever get a break?
This is a bad deal but the City has two choices.
Choice #1 - demand the Rascals pay the tax. This will result in the team going under… and thus, not paying the tax anyway and leaving an empty park.
Choice #2 - Cut them a break on the tax and hope they make it through the year and start turning a profit next year and can pay the tax again next year.
Either way the city gets nothing. In #1 they don’t get anything this year. In #2 they don’t get anything next year and maybe forever as the team either goes under or leaves.
The ICE Arena is different because an existing team that has a history of success (winning and fiscally) in the area is moving about 15 miles down the road. So they have a fiscally viable team moving in and not a team that someone WAY over paid for and as such has a debt load they can’t get out from under.
That doesn’t mean that we should do it… it’s just different.
There is no way this Mayor’s term is going to be any different from Morrow’s regime where no decisions were made. Morrow did not make decisons because she had no idea what was going on. Hennesey will make decisions either….not because he can’t because he will not. He is not different than the majority of politicians that push away tough (but needed) decisions and try to make everybody happy. The Council doing their job? Fahgetabuutitt! Haman does not have the following of enough Council members. They talk the talk but can’t caulk the caulk. And Perkins will block anything Haman brings up. Status quo will exist, the budget will worsen and they will come crying for a tax hike to meet service needs. When they do….ITYS.
We expected something different?