Baseball Offer In Suns' Hands, Councilmember Said

Fredericksburg City Council met in closed session late Tuesday for an update on negotiations with the Hagerstown Suns.

"The negotiating committee presented to council the offer made by the city, the team's response and follow-up to that offer, and the city manager's subsequent response," Howe said.  "We are now waiting for the team to respond, to pull together the finances for a deal," he said.  "It's in their hands," he said.


At the July 9 public hearing, City Council directed the city manager to select a baseball lease consultant and have the city work with the Hagerstown Suns on a draft deal to be completed by August 13.  Vice Mayor Brad Ellis and Councilor Fred Howe were chosen as the negotiating committee, and all financing options were said to be "on the table."

In addition, council voted to extend its Memorandum of Understanding with the Hagerstown Suns, which included an exclusivity agreement through the August 13 City Council meeting.

Howe said council was prepared to extend the exclusivity agreement again Tuesday night, when City Attorney Kathleen Dooley told them it had never been signed.  "The city manager did not sign it because the team offered back a change and it was not what we agreed upon," Howe said.  The team wanted one-way exclusivity, where they could negotiate with Hagerstown but Fredericksburg could not negotiate with another team.

"We're not negotiating with another team," Howe said.  "We're not worrying about it [an exclusivity agreement]; it's just a technicality," he said.

Diamond Nation, Hagerstown Suns Partnership Announced

Late Tuesday afternoon the Free Lance-Star printed a story announcing a new baseball stadium proposal.

"'A letter signed by Silver Cos. executive Jud Honaker and shared with The Free Lance–Star on Tuesday revealed a significantly different deal in which the majority of the costs of the baseball complex would be privately financed,'" the paper reported.

"That was news to us," Howe said.  "We were not involved with it, and we were not in the loop on the announcement," he said.  One council member first read the story on their cell phone during the closed session, Howe said.  "We discussed the story during the closed session, but no formal offer has been made to the city," he said.

According to Honaker's letter, the Suns and Diamond Nation would finance a minor league baseball stadium and an amateur baseball and softball tournament and training facility.  The city would purchase the land in Celebrate Virginia South and build a shared parking lot. The city would have the option of creating a tax district to pay for the parking lot, with merchants paying a maximum of 13 cents.

What's Next?

"All these negotiations are fluid," Howe said.  "This is a significant and huge opportunity for the city to generate badly needed revenue," he said of a stadium deal. 

"The committee will continue to advise me on matters related to negotiations with the Suns," Cameron said.  "It is too early to tell for sure, but it is likely baseball will be on the next City Council meeting agenda," he said  That meeting is August 27.

"Nothing is scheduled between now and the next council meeting," Howe said.

Freedom of Information Questions

Earlier Tuesday, Liberty Guard filed for an emergency injunction, hoping to prevent City Council's closed baseball meeting. 

"There is an appearance of violation of Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) laws by government entities and officials entrusted with the well being of the citizens and taxpayers of the area," Liberty Guard president Joe Seehusen said in a telephone call with Fredericksburg Patch.  "We wanted to step in and ask basic questions and ensure the laws are being respected," he said.

On August 2, a public meeting was cancelled between the Hagerstown Suns and the Fredericksburg City Council's Baseball Committee, then an unannounced closed meeting was held instead.

Fredericksburg General District Court Judge John R. Stevens denied the emergency injunction, but the FOIA case is still pending, Seehusen said.

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