VOL 3 No. 20
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FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, MAY 19, 2010
Sugar Land moves ahead with baseball stadium
By SESHADRI KUMAR Sugar Land City Council is pressing ahead with a $30 million professional minor league baseball stadium, though its exact location is yet to be decided. City Council was expected to approve a formal agreement with Opening Day Partners, LLC on Tuesday, May 18 to bring a minor league baseball team to Sugar Land. Under the letter of intent, the city will issue bonds worth $25 million and ODP will pay $5 million. The city expects to repay the bond debt through sales tax revenue, hotel occupancy tax and a venue ticket tax on events at the stadium. For the first time, the city is revealing that the stadium may not be located near the University of Houston System-Sugar Land campus in the proposed entertainment district. “The city is assessing ideal sites for the stadium, locations providing the greatest benefit for the community. One site that continues to be explored is at U.S. Highway 59 and University Boulevard where the City leases land from the University of Houston System at Sugar Land,” the city said in a press release on Monday. “As the project is anticipated to spur significant economic activity and potential
ancillary development, we are studying locations within the community where a stadium might provide an economic stimulus for other development projects,” said City Manager Allen Bogard, in the statement. Sugar Land’s pursuit of a public-private partnership for the development and operation of a year-round ballpark is anticipated to result in a “family friendly” multi-use design that will provide the potential to support college and high school baseball tournaments, concerts and other dynamic uses. “We are honored to have been selected to be a partner in Sugar Land’s entry into professional baseball,” said Brooks Robinson, a Major League Baseball Hall of Fame member and ODP partner. “We plan to open an office in Sugar Land soon and will begin becoming a part of this great community,” said ODP Chairman Peter Kirk. ODP has a strong background in minor league baseball with more than 27 years of experience in developing multi-use ballparks and successfully owning and/or operating minor league teams of all classifications. According to the letter of intent, the city and ODP should select the design pro-
fessionals by July 1, 2010 and the stadium site should have been decided by September 1, 2010. Sixty days after the site selection, the parties would agree on the construction costs. The parties intend to reach a definitive agreement by March 1, 2011, known as “the closing deadline.” The terms of the lease agreement include a provision that ODP will pay as annual rent for the stadium 40 percent of all gross revenues from tickets sales related to the team’s baseball games, suite license sales and naming rights payments in excess of an aggregate base of $2.6 million a year. The city will have an exclusive suite in the stadium. Further, the city will receive 200 tickets for events scheduled by ODP. The city will distribute those tickets free of charge to select organizations, groups or members of the community. ODP will also provide 1,000 tickets to the city on on “employee night” once during the baseball season. The tickets will be given to city employees, their families and guests. (See The view from Sugar Land, Page 4)
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
Birds of Fort Bend
The Baltimore Oriole is one of the many species migrating through Fort Bend County from South and Central America to various nesting areas in the South East and East North America. As shown in the picture, one of the Baltimore Orioles favorite foods besides insects are Mulberries. To learn more about the Baltimore Oriole and to see pictures of the Orchard Oriole that nest in Fort Bend, go to http://traction.typepad.com/birds/ . Photo by Margaret Sloan
City ready to pitch; where is the mound?
That Sugar Land has not yet chosen a site for its base ball stadium came like a curve ball last week. It has been a foregone conclusion that the city wanted to develop an entertainment district, of which the stadium will be a component, along with an indoor concert theater, a hotel and convention center at the site leased from the University of Houston. But, that is not the case anymore. According to sources familiar with the issue, the city’s choice of a site would be based on its “best business decision.” The likely limitations at the UHSSL site or the pain of a prolonged negotiation with another public entity, may have led the city to look at sites elsewhere. While the city is still keeping the doors open for the UHSSL site, at least three other sites are said to be under consideration. The city has an option to buy 90 acres of land from Telfair. The site is along U.S. 59 and University Boulevard, across the UHSSL. Another site also abuts Telfair, at the intersection of U.S. 90A and Highway 6. A third possibility is some land in the Imperial Sugar tract. That the use of the land should be consistent with the
Inside Track By Seshadri Kumar goal of higher education as originally intended when the state deeded the property to the university could be a hindrance in meeting’s the city’s objective. What happens to the entertainment district, if the city moves the stadium to a site away from UHSSL? Councilman Tom Abraham is concerned that the concept of entertainment district may become a casualty while choosing a site for the stadium. He wants to ensure that the entertainment district is not abandoned. Abraham has another concern too. What if the stadium operator goes belly up? Who will pay for operation and maintenance of the stadium, costing an estimated $ 3million a year? City officials may find answers to these concerns before signing the final deal. While there appears to be a consensus on the idea of hav-
Seconds can save lives
ing a baseball stadium, at least one council member has some reservations. Councilman Don Smithers seems to be concerned about the current recession and wonders if the timing is right for such an ambitious project. After all the bonds of have to be financed by sales tax revenue. Smithers was not present at last week’s executive session where council discussed the letter of intent. According to one source, the discussion was “energetic.” In the end, city council might vote unanimously to approve the letter of intent or, in the worst case scenario, there could be a dissenting vote. Any location for the stadium is likely to bring some objections from neighbors affected by noise and lighting. But, foreseeing such a contingency, the city has already enacted ordinances to regulate noise and light pollution. Interestingly, the city has also adopted a policy on naming of public facilities in Sugar Land. The policy states that the facility names will not advocate a current political figure, political affiliation, ideology or religion. So, the baseball stadium cannot be a monument for any living politician.
POLICE FLEET. Sugar Land Police Department took delivery of 21 Chevy Tahoe police package vehicles and three Impalas from Classic Chevrolet in Sugar Land on Monday. Above, Classic Chevrolet owner Don Kerstetter, third from left, Sugar Land’s Assistant City Manager for Public Safety Steve Griffith and SLPD Chief Doug Brinkley, along with SLPD officers stand in front of the new fleet at the dealership. Kerstetter said General Motors and Classic Chevrolet subsidized the deal for the city. The order is worth $550,000. Griffith said the city chose the Tahoes instead of the Ford Crown Victoria as the Tahoes apart from being sturdy, with higher seats provided a better visibility to officers. Also, the longevity of Tahoe is a year more than Crown Victoria, and would more than offset the higher cost.
Parents oppose cut in school bus service
A group of parents has launched a petition drive urging Fort Bend ISD not to cancel school bus service for students who live less than two miles form the school. (http://www.petitiononline. com/fbisdbus/petition.html) FBISD is actively pursuing every cost-cutting measure and has decided to drop the paid bus service in the district. FBISD runs a paid school bus transportation service for students who live less than 2 miles from the school. These kids pay $27/ month. Out of the total 222 pay riders in the FBISD Pay Program, 126 pay riders are elementary students. Many of these students live 1.5 to 1.9 miles from their elementary schools. Walking to school for the elementary students is not a viable option as it would significantly impact the safety of the children, parents says. In
2008-2009 there were 27 pedestrian accidents in Sugar Land and several of them were minors. One of the parents said “All the parents I have talked to would support a rate increase in the bus service to cover the shortfall. But FBISD has unilaterally made this decision to discontinue the paid bus service without consulting
parents or listening to feedback. We are demonstrating to FBISD that the budget shortfall to continue this paid service program for Elementary School children can be easily addressed and are offering to partner with the district and accept a 30% rate increase.”
10701 Corporate Drive, #282, Stafford, TX 77477 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, TX 77487 www.fbindependent.com Seshadri Kumar Publisher & Editor 281-980-6745 Fort Bend Independent is published every Wednesday (for a subscription rate of $20 per year) by Fort Bend Independent, LLC., 10701 Corporate Dr., #282, Stafford, Texas 77477. Periodical postage application pending. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Fort Bend Independent, P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, Tx 77487.
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