Suns have plan for stadium makeover

The owners of the Hagerstown Suns would like to see construction on a $9 million to $10 million Municipal Stadium remodeling project beginning at the close of the 2012 baseball season, team co-owner Tony Dahbura said.

Earlier this year, the owners paid a national sports facility architectural firm to create a concept for an "extreme makeover" of the stadium, Dahbura said. Now, they have concept drawings, price estimates and a proposed funding model — and, as of Tuesday, a pledge of $140,000 a year from the Hagerstown City Council.


The last missing piece is a funding commitment from Washington County, Dahbura said.

Dahbura owns the team along with Bruce Quinn, Sheri Quinn and Mitesh Kothari. The city owns Municipal Stadium, which it leases to the Suns.

The proposed funding model calls for $200,000 a year from the county in hotel-motel tax revenue, $140,000 a year from the city in hotel-motel tax revenue and other nongeneral-fund sources, and $200,000 to $230,000 a year from the Suns, Dahbura said.

Those payments would continue over the course of a 20- to 30-year bond, he said.

On Tuesday, Dahbura asked the county commissioners for a funding commitment, warning that without a remodeled stadium, Hagerstown could lose the Suns to another city as early as 18 months from now.


Leaving town?

In an interview Thursday, Dahbura said the Suns' owners have an active offer to move the Suns to another city.

Dahbura would not say what city, but Winchester, Va., has been floated in official circles as one that might be interested.

Asked if the offer was from Winchester, Dahbura said "no comment."

Winchester Mayor Elizabeth Minor referred questions about the city's interest in the Suns to the city's director of economic development, Jim Deskins.

"We're not in a position to comment," Deskins said.

Dahbura said the owners have received interest from multiple cities within the past six months.

"Even in this economy, there are at least 12 communities with ballpark projects, and probably more," he said. "Baseball teams are viewed as economic development engines by communities, as well as just, people want baseball in their community. So they're not making baseball teams, so they have to take them from somewhere."

Dahbura said the offers have been unsolicited. He and Kothari, in particular, do not want to see the team leave Hagerstown, but the two of them do not have a controlling interest in the team, he said.

The other owners are Bruce Quinn, chief operating officer and general manager of Polo Trace Golf Club in Delray Beach, Fla., and his sister, Sheri Quinn.

Dahbura said while the Quinns have a great interest in baseball, Dahbura and Kothari are "community-driven" and invested in the team because they want to keep professional baseball in Hagerstown.


Stadium vision