Article Contributed on: 10/3/2006 9:19:54 AM
COMMERCE CITY - City council has voted to allow the city's acting city manager to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that would begin the process of bringing a professional minor league baseball team to the city.
The agreement between National Sports Services, LLC, Front Range Sports, LLC and Commerce City allows the parties to immediately begin negotiating a Development Agreement that will outline the details of the proposed public-private partnership. Those details include schedule, budget, project development, site selection, management, operation, and construction of the recreation complex.
"Commerce City is excited about exploring this partnership to bring a minor league baseball franchise to the city while meeting the needs of our residents with a recreation center, which was expressed in our communitywide needs assessment last year,"
Gregg Clements, acting city manager, said.
"We are thrilled to be working with Commerce City to bring minor league baseball to the northeast metro area," said
Allen Fears, chief financial officer of National Sports Services. "It's been our long- term goal to bring at least two minor league teams to the Colorado Front Range, and the signing of the Commerce City MOU brings us a major step closer to making that a reality."
In addition to a city-owned, 5,000-seat baseball stadium, the MOU indicates mutual interest in building a recreation center, meeting rooms and a baseball field complex. The city would lease the stadium and team offices to the baseball franchise. The parties involved are also expected to begin negotiations on a long-term lease agreement.
The stadium and recreation center will most likely be built in the northern part of the city, but a specific location has not been identified. The team would most likely be a member of the American Association, an independent minor league, with plans to begin play in May 2008.