BASEBALL LEASE IN THE WORKS JETHAWKS, CITY LOOK AT EASING TEAM BILLS.Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer LANCASTER - Lancaster is stepping up to the plate for its minor-league baseball team, offering to ease the club's bills in exchange for ownership of concession stand Concession stand is the term used to refer to a place where patrons can purchase snacks or food at a cinema, fair, Stadium, or other entertainment venue. Some events or venues contract out the right to sell food to third parties. equipment and $175,000 worth of stadium maintenance. Under a proposed stadium lease revision, the Lancaster JetHawks The Lancaster JetHawks are a minor league baseball team in Lancaster, California, USA. They are a Class-A Advanced team in the California League, and are a farm team of the Boston Red Sox. will turn over to the city by June 1, 2004, concession stand equipment valued at $302,000. The Jethawks would also be obligated ob·li·gate tr.v. ob·li·gat·ed, ob·li·gat·ing, ob·li·gates 1. To bind, compel, or constrain by a social, legal, or moral tie. See Synonyms at force. 2. To cause to be grateful or indebted; oblige. to perform $175,000 worth of maintenance on mutually agreed upon Adj. 1. agreed upon - constituted or contracted by stipulation or agreement; "stipulatory obligations" stipulatory noncontroversial, uncontroversial - not likely to arouse controversy projects on the city-owned stadium. In exchange, the city will waive To intentionally or voluntarily relinquish a known right or engage in conduct warranting an inference that a right has been surrendered. For example, an individual is said to waive the right to bring a tort action when he or she renounces the remedy provided by law for such its maintenance fees for the JetHawks for the 2002 and 2003 seasons, which would total $256,600. The city would also waive $220,200 in outstanding utility fees, for a total package worth $476,800. The move, which will be considered tonight by the City Council, is aimed at improving the team's cash flow. ``This agreement comes out of a partnership with the team,'' said Lyle Norton, Lancaster's director of parks, recreation and arts. ``We wanted to assist them through this period without simply waiving the maintenance fee.'' The JetHawks originally signed a 10-year lease with the city of Lancaster The City of Lancaster (2002 population: 133,914) is a local government district with city status in Lancashire, England. Its main town is Lancaster, from which it obtained its city status. Other towns in the district include Morecambe, Heysham, Slyne, and Carnforth. at the cost of $300,000, or one dollar per ticket sold - whichever is more - per season. That lease was renegotiated before the 2000 season to $200,000 per year, or $1 per ticket sale - whichever is more. The more-recent contract extended the lease an additional 10 years, locking in the franchise until 2015. Since the inaugural season, attendance at JetHawk games has steadily declined, dropping from an average 4,520 per game in 1996 to 2,480 last season. Through April 30, the JetHawks are averaging 1,962 fans per game. April and May typically rack up the lowest attendance figures, however, as the high desert's fickle fick·le adj. Characterized by erratic changeableness or instability, especially with regard to affections or attachments; capricious. [Middle English fikel, from Old English ficol, weather can often make night games chilly. JetHawk officials believe the attendance decline is bottoming out and that they will steadily build back up as the region grows. ``We're not drawing what we had in the first couple of years,'' said Kevin Younkin, the JetHawks general manager. ``The city is recognizing that. Once the newness goes away, ticket sales declined. That's common in sports in general and especially in minor-league baseball.'' The JetHawks are focusing on boosting attendance through group sales Group sales Block sale (of large amounts) of securities to institutional investors. group sales The distribution of a new security issue to institutional clients. and by offering a variety of miniseason packages. ``We've got 70 dates, and we've got to do our best to get people out,'' Younkin said. |
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