KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics in Kansas, Missouri and at the local level. Share your story idea with Charlie.
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Public records requests returned hundreds of emails from March and April, revealing a behind-the-scenes timeline of how the Kansas City Royals new ballpark proposal evolved before the team's splashy announcement at Crown Center.
The paper trail begins March 13, when a city staff member put together a PowerPoint slide highlighting a new stadium financing proposal.
The slide includes a picture of a ballpark on Washington Square Park, with the city contributing $500 million to the project.
Both the site and the public financing figure would change.
On March 30, a revised draft shows the city's maximum contribution had grown to $600 million, up from $500 million. It appears the drafted ordinance was created as early as February 10.
The records do not indicate why the city increased its maximum contribution amount.
The second major change came April 9 on the morning the city council introduced the ordinance. The Royals emailed the city with suggested changes to the ordinance to include the words "Crown Center area."
A week later, the City Council approved the ordinance with both changes: the "Crown Center" language and a cap on the city's contribution at $600 million.
On April 22, the Royals revealed why including those words mattered. The team announced plans for a stadium on the Hallmark headquarters site — not at Washington Square Park.
The records revealed the city signed a $98,000 contract on April 2 with a consultant to study the economic impact of moving the stadium. The study was not complete before the council approved the ordinance on April 16.
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