Consultants pitch Auburn City Council on new Falcon Park | #citycouncil

Suppose you were told that you could enjoy a brand spanking new Falcon Park next year, and not one penny more of your tax dollars would go toward paying the construction tab?

That’s exactly the picture consultants painted for City Council yesterday. And it’s not a mirage, they claimed.

What it will take to become reality, the consultants said, is a contribution from the state and support from at least four of the five City Council members.

Both of those conditions remain up in the air. But if they come to pass, an aggressive campaign to market the new stadium for diverse uses will mean more income — money that would pay off the city’s share of the debt for renovating the rickety park and let taxpayers off the hook.

With the Professional Baseball Association demanding a satisfactory park by opening day next year, city officials are caught in a squeeze play.

The state should decide within three weeks whether it will contribute money toward Falcon Park’s $2.5 million renovation. But, as City Councilor Jim Hutchinson told colleagues yesterday, “If we do nothing until the state comes back (with its final numbers), we’re not going to make it.”

With that in mind, the city’s planning office will solicit services from architectural firms within two weeks, so that when (knock on wood here) the state announces the amount it will put forth, work on the renovation can begin immediately.

City officials are hoping the state will come through with $1.25 million, or about half of the renovation costs. The rest would be bonded by the city, but that legally requires permission from four of five councilors.

And Councilor Mark Fandrich has already suggested the city consider getting out of the professional baseball business, despite the prospect of the park supporting its own renovations.

“It would still mean a $1.3 million commitment on the part of the city,” Fandrich said. “There’s a real question in my mind whether the projections presented to council were accurate. I’m looking forward to the whole report.

“It would be a lot easier call to make if the franchise could support itself.”