The Syracuse Chiefs baseball team has a new lease at NBT Bank stadium that includes more support from Onondaga County. It appears both sides want to keep the team in Syracuse despite some lingering struggles. Chiefs General Manager Jason Smoral says the contract approved by county lawmakers provides essential support for the next ten years…
"We are in the smallest market in all of triple-A," Smoral said. "We are still taking care of old business for how poorly the team performed in years past. Going forward, getting this kind of relief and partnership from the county is critical to keeping the Chiefs here in Syracuse."
Onondaga County Legislature Chairman Ryan McMahon says the stadium is a huge piece of entertainment infrastructure, and the Chiefs are deeply intertwined with the community.
"Would we have built this stadium today, or would we be in this business today?" McMahon asked as he addressed his fellow lawmakers. "Some of our colleagues have said 'maybe not,' and maybe we wouldn't be. But, we're in this business, we have one tenant. And we need to recognize that without that tenant, we will fail."
The lease deal increases the Chiefs rent from $136,000 a year to $200,000, but the county will assume the costs of utilities and field maintenance, which have been dropping. Smoral says the agreement solidifies a great partnership with the county, which also benefits.
"There's a lot of hotel rooms that the Chiefs generate," Smoral said. "There's significant sales tax that goes back into our community. There's over a million dollars in salaries that stay right here in Onondaga County. The players rent houses, they bring their families in, they buy cars, some of them actually move and stay and live right here in Syracuse."
Part of the new agreement includes what Chairman McMahon calls a revenue reinvestment program.
"As the baseball team makes more money, over a threshold of $3.5 million, as that number increases, hopefully, the county will get a split on that increase, which will then go to reinvest into capital expenses at the baseball stadium, potentially around the stadium, agreed to by the club and the county."
Legislator Casey Jordan:
"That's wonderful, and I guess it helps our constituents perhaps avoid a future obligation of capital investment into this facility. But as the chairman pointed out, this facility is dedicated solely to the operation of this ball club."
Jordan, along with Kevin Holmquist, were the only two lawmakers to vote against the lease agreement. Jordan says while he wants to see the chiefs stay and prosper, he feels the county and its taxpayers are taking on too much responsibility for the stadium.
"It just seems to be we're incurring expenses which, at least to some extent, we have no control over," Jordan said. "We're locking ourselves into a revenue stream that is flat for 15 years. It just seems to be that it could be better."
