Winter has only just begun, but officials in Niagara Falls are thinking ahead to spring and baseball season. Time Warner Cable News reporter Angela Christoforos explains the Cataract City is looking for a new operator for the Sal Maglie Stadium.
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. -- Though wet and snow-covered now, by sunnier spring days the Sal Maglie Stadium will be back in use and Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster hopes it will be operated and managed by different hands.
"We've been out for request for proposals before. We had a number of responses. We were very close to signing an agreement with an operator last time that we felt pretty enthusiastic about. That didn't work out," said Dyster.
It's the third time the city has put out RFPs, and Dyster says they will be accepted until Feb, 1, leaving more time to generate interest.
A series of baseball teams like Niagara Power baseball have played at the stadium through the years, and Dyster hopes new operators will bring new life to the stadium and attract league baseball, youth baseball, and possibly host tournaments for out-of-town teams.
"We don't expect it to be a cash cow for the city but we don't want it to be a money loser for us either and we're looking for an operator who can come in and create a stable operation," said Dyster.
The proposal calls for a minimum term of three years and $150,000 worth of operational expenses per year to run the stadium.
"The stadium shows its age. There hasn't been major renovation done there in a number of years, but what we're trying to do now is balance the benefit to the community with the amount of investment in the facility to make sure that it's a net positive," said Dyster.
The city plans to select a winner of the RFP process by February and negotiate an agreement in time to have the stadium operating for Spring baseball in May.
Mayor Dyster says the city will continue to supply backup for maintenance and would consider making substantial capital improvements.
"We're not professionals in stadium leasing and we'd like to have a private sector partner to come in and to take care of the details making sure that the facility is an asset to the community," said Dyster.