KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Share your story idea with Ryan.
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The Belton City Council approved a feasibility study Tuesday night for a minor league baseball stadium after a lively back-and-forth discussion.
KSHB 41 News Cass County reporter Ryan Gamboa reported on this story earlier this month.
City Council members reached out last summer to the Frontier Baseball League about the possibility of the city getting an expansion team.
The Frontier League League, an independent major league baseball-partnered association, has 18 teams in two divisions. A team similar to a Frontier League team would be the Kansas City Monarchs.
The league has franchises in midsized, major league market suburbs in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
Belton City Manager Joe Warren said earlier this month that city leaders approached the league about whether it would have an interest in a team in Belton.
City leaders attended a game in Sauget, Ill., to get the full experience of the Gateway Grizzlies. The Grizzlies are a Frontier League franchise near St. Louis and is the oldest independent baseball franchise in the nation
"The city feels like you should approve this because the $69,000 price tag is relatively small for the potential gain," Warren told the council on Tuesday night.
The study is expected to last 12 weeks, and the contracted agency will review site locations, the general feasibility of the community, and funding mechanisms for the project.
People that live in or near Belton expressed excitement earlier this month about team based in the city.
"It really gives them goals to shoot for and it’s also kind of a litmus test of where they are," Chris Allen, owner and coach of Wheelhouse Baseball Clinic, said about what it offers his players. "It gives them a reality check of where they need to be to play at that level. I think the community would kind of come together to share that building, not just for baseball, but for community activities, the 4th of July fireworks show."
But not everyone was excited Tuesday night about the idea of a professional baseball team in Belton.
Councilwoman Allyson Lawson had concerns about how the proposal came to light and the potential fiscal impacts a stadium could have on residents.
"What would you expect the city to have to pay to build this?" Lawson asked City Manager Joe Warren. "Tens of millions of dollars?"
"It may be," Warren said. "The study is designed to help us figure out — is it going to be a publicly financed stadium?"
During an interview earlier this month, Frontier League Commissioner Steve Tahsler told KSHB 41 News the league prioritizes being a good community partner, providing programming for all walks of life in its stadiums.
"We don’t measure our teams on today or tomorrow, we measure them on a decade to two decades down the road," he said. "Ultimately, we are much, much more than a baseball facility. We brand ourselves as a community gathering point. Yes, we have 50-plus home games, but we have 200-plus calendar days to book events when the weather is still good."
During a work session meeting earlier this month, Councilwoman Lawson expressed her hesitance about a stadium because of the burden it might put on the city with other large projects.
The city has not agreed to build a stadium but has approved a study for the possibility.
On Tuesday night, Lawson expressed concerns about how the project came to light with a select few council members and staff attending a game last summer.
"Where I am having a hard time with this is how the whims of certain people can progress to this point, when there is nine of us up here making these decisions.," she said. "To hear that three folks and the City Manager took a trip, were treated to dinner, whether it was stadium hot dogs or steak, doesn't really matter to me," Lawson said. "It makes me really uncomfortable."
Councilwoman Patty Johnson pushed back on Lawson's claims.
"I don't think it was on a whim," Johnson said. "Of anybody, it's not my whim. I did go. To see what this opportunity would possibly be. I went with an open mind to see if this would be a benefit to Belton, if it would increase the quality of life of our citizens, if it could generate potential revenue for the city. That's what I went and looked for and I thought that's part of my job as a city councilperson."
The council passed the resolution for the feasibility study in a 5-3 vote.
Steve Tahsler, the Commissioner for the Frontier League issued a statement to KSHB 41 News following the council's action:
"We are thrilled Belton has approved the feasibility study. The long-term success that we have achieved in similar markets makes us confident that Belton will be a successful project and tremendous addition to the Frontier League. I look forward to working with the City Council to bring professional baseball along with multiple other events to Cass County."
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