City council OKs researching baseball plan
A public forum on a proposal to bring Class A baseball to Vancouver has been canceled.
A half-dozen neighborhood associations had been planning on hosting a forum at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Clark County Public Service Center.
Organizers had hoped to have representatives from the team, the city of Vancouver, Clark County and Clark College.
Bridget Schwarz said not all of the key players were able to attend.
The group will still work on scheduling a forum, she said.
The proposal for a stadium at Clark College includes a potential countywide 5 percent entertainment admissions tax. The majority of the revenue would be collected from moviegoers, as the price of a ticket would go up 5 percent.
Other tickets, including ones to the county fair and Washougal Motocross, could be taxed as well.
The revenues from the tax would be committed to paying off bonds for the stadium, which would be owned by the team.
On May 13, owners of the Yakima Bears announced plans to move the team to Vancouver but said they needed the tax.
The short-season affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks would play 38 games a summer at the stadium, which would be built east of Interstate 5 and west of Fort Vancouver Way on the site of the college’s current field.
When not in use by the Bears, the stadium would be available for use by the college or the community.
County commissioners are expected to sign a non-binding letter of intent Tuesday morning. The letter outlines the steps that the county and the team need to take.
