Friday, October 1, 2010

Who Controls Use of the Proposed New Mesa Cactus League Baseball Stadium?

A point recently made by supporters of Proposition 420 concerns public access to the new Chicago Cubs spring training project if it is built. The Keep the Cubs campaign says one of the reasons to vote yes on this ballot measure is that the new ballpark and practice facilities will be available to the community. The implication here is that the public would be able to use these improvements for a portion of year.

Obviously, the showpiece of the development, and the most expensive element, will be the Stadium where Cactus League games are played. According to the only existing agreement between the Cubs and the City of Mesa, it appears the Cubs are the only ones who determine the use of the stadium. Paragraph 1.6 of the January Memorandum of Understanding says in part “Cubs shall have exclusive control over the use, management, operation and scheduling of the Stadium and Ancillary Stadium Facilities and may use the Stadium and Ancillary Facilities for any purpose….” The Ancillary Facilities include two of the full-sized practice fields, the clubhouse and all specialized training improvements. The rest of the project consists of four practice fields. The Cubs have exclusive use of these for three months of the year.

So, it would appear to be more accurate to say the public will have access to a portion of the development some of the time.

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