Trying to secure financing for a new municipal baseball stadium, Salt Lake Mayor Deedee Corradini asked for $3.7 million from the state Friday morning - money she hopes will help build a facility by the spring of 1994.
The mayor asked for the money during a meeting with Gov. Norm Bangerter, who agreed to study the request. But, while he agreed a stadium would be a good thing, the governor cautioned Corradini to be prepared to show how it will improve the state's economy."Before the state puts out money, people will want to know what the impacts will be," he said, referring directly to rural state legislators who believe inordinate amounts of state money go toward Salt Lake City projects.
In 1991, the state agreed to pay $15 million to help renovate the Salt Palace convention center, despite concerns from rural lawmakers.
Bangerter agreed to appoint a member of his staff to a committee that is studying ways to design and fund a new stadium. He also will appoint a member of the Community and Economic Development Department to the committee.
Corradini said members of her staff are working with legislative leaders to get their support for the funding.
The mayor said she hopes the state will match the $3.7 million the city has set aside for the project. She also wants similar contributions from Salt Lake County and from a yet-to-be-identified private person.
She wants a new stadium to replace aging Derks Field, 1300 South and 300 West. Two large sections of the 10,000-seat stadium have been condemned because of fears they may collapse. The rest of the stadium is safe, according to a study by a structural engineer, and will be used by the Salt Lake
See STADIUM on B2
Trappers this summer.
Some members of her committee want to study ways to rebuild Derks Field. So do many people who live around the stadium. But Corradini would rather build a new stadium downtown, believing it would lead to economic development. She also wants a stadium the city can use for outdoor concerts. Derks is in a residential neighborhood, where neighbors might complain about the noise of a concert, she said.
Corradini has ordered city planning officials to study all potential downtown sites. She also asked them to study what fixing Derks would cost.
But if she builds anywhere but on the Derks Field site, Corradini will have to find ways for the city to buy land. That may be expensive in the downtown area. Land costs are not included in her $15 million estimate for stadium construction.
The city hopes a new stadium will attract a triple-A baseball franchise. Triple-A is the highest level of professional baseball next to the major leagues. The Trappers play in a rookie league, the lowest level.
Corradini and her staff believe a new stadium virtually will guarantee a triple-A franchise.
"We already have had feelers out," Corradini told Bangerter. "As soon as we announce we are building a stadium, we will have a triple-A team."