Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Unreasonable Requests?

The Hagerstown Suns asked the Hagerstown City Council for more flexibility in scheduling events at the Muni and add the right to sell advertising outside the stadium among others.

Tony Dahbura asked the council for the right to hold up to thirty non-Hagerstown Suns events a year that could include high school and college baseball games in addition to concerts,festivals etc and asked for a streamlining to the system that would make the Suns able to process events far quicker than the current manner.
This would be as simple as a vote to empower a staff member (or more,the article doesn't say) to approve requests for non-Suns events instead of having to ask for council approval for each and every request.
This makes things easier for the team and takes less time for the city council,so they can devote more time to other issues on the docket.

Dahbura also submitted a list of improvements to the stadium to prepare for the upcoming season that look to be around the 40,000 dollar range from the Hagerstown Capital Improvement fund.
These range from replacing the depleted backstop netting to various improvements to the clubhouse area that judging by my talks with various players that come through town cannot be worked on soon enough.
From what I can see,these all are needs not wants and even with these changes,the Muni will not become an opulent baseball palace anytime soon.

However,apparently the Suns were asking too much in the eyes of Ashley Haywood,who made sure to note that "team approached the city for greater autonomy while at the same time asking the city for funds to improve the stadium".
Somewhere in Ms.Haywood's snarky response is some truth,as the team did ask for more autonomy and did ask for stadium funds,but sift through the sand and see this for what it is.
IF the team has more control on adding events and IF the team is able to make additional money from them,THEN perhaps down the road in a year or two,the Suns can finance some of the stadium improvements themselves.

If council members like Ms.Haywood truly want to save the city money then giving the Suns the flexibility to add to their coffers (and then be able to pay for more things on their own eventually) makes all the sense in the world.
Note to Ms.Haywood and the remaining council members-A town only gets one baseball team and they don't have very chances to bring them back unless you build a new facility.
You are being offered the chance to help the town and the team without a huge outlay of dollars and appearing reticent is helping no one in the area.

From what I have been told (Hearsay,of course) one member of the council has next to no idea how minor league baseball operates and there may be a few more than that particular one.
Hopefully someone can educate these people before they make foolish decisions as time progresses and they help the Suns stay as the civic institution that they deserve to be instead of turning the Muni into the latest urban coffee and sandwich shop walking area.
Yes,I am being facetious (for now),but forgive me for caring and being concerned.
Hagerstown finally has a chance to remove some or most of these worries,let's hope that we have a city council that realizes just what they have in the Hagerstown Suns.

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