Cape spring training stadium, nixed

AS reported in the News-Press 3/21/2006; Don Ruane
Mayor plans to keep issue alive in city.

A tie vote by City Council spiked the mayor's plan Monday to ask state lawmakers for $10 million to help pay for a spring training baseball stadium in Cape Coral.

The vote essentially showed the council is unwilling to pursue the project, Mayor Eric Feichthaler said. But he plans to keep talking to talk to lawmakers on his own about how good it would be for the city. And he asked viewers watching the City Council meeting on cable television to contact all the council members if they support the project.

"I'm sure we wouldn't mind getting a couple hundred e-mails," Feichthaler said.

Feichthaler and other city officials met in December with representatives of the Cleveland Indians, who are seeking a new spring training site. They toured potential sites, but made no deals or commitments. Feichthaler said he has not heard from Cleveland since the visit. The Cleveland Indians train in Winter Haven. They expect to be there at least through 2007, a team official has said. Two Major League Baseball teams train in Lee County. The Minnesota Twins play at the Lee County Sports Complex. The Boston Red Sox play at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers.

Cape Coral could have used the state money to negotiate a fair deal with a team and get the stadium built at no cost to the city's taxpayers, Feichthaler said. "My goal is not to support a team and make millionaires rich," Feichthaler said.

But City Council members Alex LePera, Richard Stevens, Jim Jeffers and Dolores Bertolini balked at his request for permission to write a letter asking state lawmakers for the money.

"I've been very skeptical from day one," Jeffers said. "I think it's a bad deal. We have other priorities that command the attention of this council and resources of this community." Feichthaler proposed the stadium be built in Festival Park in north Cape Coral. But the 60 acres needed for the stadium and training fields are being purchased with tax dollars, Jeffers said. There's at least $25 million of taxpayers' money tied up in the land, he said.

"I'm not ready to ask someone for $10 million," LePera said. "I'm not willing to ask for seed money when there's no continuing source of money for the project." Others said if they could get $10 million from the state that they would use it to widen Pine Island Road or build a public safety building.

Councilman Alan Boyd said he'd support the project if it can be done without any expense to residents. "Success starts with an idea," Boyd said. "If we don't ask for it somebody else is going to get it. That's what bothers me the most. If you can do this for zero dollars, I'd be wholeheartedly in favor of it."

No state money was used to build the county sports complex, said Lee County Public Works Director Jim Lavender. The county obtained the land from a developer in exchange for impact fee credits. The Twins contributed to the concession area's construction. The rest was funded with a bond issue, Lavender said. Fort Myers went into debt to build the City of Palms Park. The city still is paying off the debt, although the operation and maintenance of the stadium have been turned over to the county.