Onondaga County lawmakers hope to help the operators of the Syracuse Chiefs build on a successful season of baseball.
County lawmakers have agreed to lend $1.2 million to the operators of the Chiefs, who want to make stadium upgrades that would allow large groups to host parties or events during games. Legislature Chairman Ryan McMahon says this is a concept that can help bring more business to the stadium.
“These are things that are done in other stadiums, and are revenue generators for those clubs," McMahon said. "Obviously we have a partnership with professional baseball here, we own the ballpark. We want our affiliate to be successful, to make money. They’ve come a long way since previous years, and there’s still work to do. We think these changes will create more revenue.”
McMahon says it will help the ball club build on a successful 2014 season.
“We want to see them succeed," McMahon explained. "The more and more people who go to these games, the more and more it creates a vibrant sense of community here. We’re proud of the progress and we look forward to more.”
The Chiefs have seven years to pay back the loan and will do it through a facility use surcharge on tickets, though the ball club hasn’t determined exactly how that will work. The upgrades will involve repurposing space under the Hank Sauer room, which is on an upper level and is already used for parties and VIP and promotional events. The upgrades will also include the creation of a new VIP section for food and beverages on the third base line.
