Major League Baseball agreed to grant the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors’ request for a 60-day extension to consider financing for a stadium sports complex that would host the Hagerstown Suns. The board now is forming a nine member committee to work on the matter.
The original deadline to complete the deal was May 31. The new deadline is July 31, 2015.
The nine member committee will include seven Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors members or someone they designate. Two committee members will be from the Economic Development Authority.
Supervisors Chris Yakabouski (Battlefield District) and Ann Heidig (Livingston District) have joined the committee. Supervisor Timothy McLaughlin (Chancellor District) appointed resident Jim Joyce. Supervisors Greg Cebula (Berkeley), David Ross (Courtland), Paul Trampe (Salem) and Gary Skinner (Lee Hill) have yet to decide.
Yakabouski said it’s too soon to hire an attorney to handle negotiations for Spotsylvania. “I don’t want to waste county money if there’s no sense moving forward,” he said.
Supervisor Dave Ross believes baseball should not be funded by county government, and has declared himself a no vote on the matter.
Hagerstown Suns owner Bruce Quinn wants to relocate the Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals to Spotsylvania. He’s already tried the offer in Winchester and Fredericksburg. The proposed 5,500 seat stadium would be in the Massaponax area, just off I-95. Under the current deal, the EDA is to provide a $25 million capital contribution, and the team would contribute $8 million, bringing the total to $33 million in construction costs.
Spotsylvania officials hope to meet with the Hagerstown Suns in June.
Do you want Spotsylvania County to build a stadium complex for a Nats A team? Tell us what you think in the comments section.
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