Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 17, 1994 TAG: 9402170049
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JAN VERTEFEUILLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Two months before the season's first fans settle on the terraced balcony with the million-dollar view of the mountains, Salem's Municipal Field is locked up tight, surrounded by a beige cinder-block wall marked "City Property."
It's the same message City Council sent to the potential buyer of the minor-league Buccaneers: If you want to play ball in Salem, don't forget who owns the field.
What was expected to be a formality on the way to selling the team turned into a roadblock Monday, when council declined to transfer the ballpark's lease to the man who wants to buy the Bucs.
"They can still sell the team," Mayor James Taliaferro said. "They just don't have anyplace to play. That's a two-way street."
Eric Margenau, who thought he would be closing a deal on the purchase Feb. 28, went back to New York angry, with council insisting it would wait until May and take care of the matter during budget time.
Council wants to consider the lease transfer at the same time it looks at building a new stadium to replace the antiquated Municipal Field, since this is the last year the field can be used.
As the mayor told the prospective buyer, "We have our own philosophy of how we do business here."
Margenau is from New York, and though council members insist that had nothing to do with their vote, the issue came up. Taliaferro suggested that he liked dealing with a local owner, such as current owner Kelvin Bowles of Rocky Mount. But the decision to delay a vote came down to money, members said.
Four of the five council members said this week they favor building a new ballpark if there's money, but they won't be pressured to meet someone else's timetable. Howard Packett, the fifth member, could not be reached.
"I hate to see us lose baseball altogether, but Salem and the owners have a long-term relationship with the Carolina League," Councilman Sonny Tarpley said. "Due to the relationship we've had here, I think they'd give us ample time to decide on a stadium."
Municipal Field is an aging, Depression-era ballpark that won't pass muster for minor-league play beyond this season. But it's the only place the Bucs reasonably can use this year, because the season opens April 7.
Tarpley said Wednesday that before he approves a stadium, he would want to know the terms of the lease and how long the team would lease it. Those questions were not answered Monday at the City Council meeting, which both Margenau and Bowles attended, he said.
"We didn't get anything convincing" from the prospective owner, Tarpley said.
He said it has been "amazing" how many residents have told him they want a stadium built if the city can afford it. He hasn't heard from anyone who is against it.
But, Tarpley said, "Before I could say yes or no, I would want to look at the figures, at how it would be financed."
Vice Mayor Mac Green said he has taken no stand on the issue, because "it hinges on money.
"If the money was flatly available, it would be no problem," he said. "I want to get into the budget and see where we are."
Since the city owns property near the football stadium where a new ballpark could be built, and city services and utilities already serve the site, the cost could be lower than the earlier $6 million figure, Taliaferro estimated - maybe $4 million.
Along with the cost, Salem likely will take into account its long relationship with baseball, as well as the city's general love of sports, when it comes time to decide on a ballpark.
Salem and professional baseball wed in 1955 and have been together at Municipal Field ever since. The sport's economic impact on the area is figured at between $3 million and $7 million a season, said Sam Lazzaro, Bucs' vice president and general manager.
"We're in the process of [looking at] making a total commitment to baseball," Tarpley said, but council want to wait until the numbers are crunched in May.
Floating a bond issue and dipping into the reserve fund have been suggested to council members as possible ways to pay for a stadium.
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB