Missoula advocates narrow sites and outline $1 million–$3 million plan to pursue minor‑league ballpark

Missoula Baseball Advocates outlined site‑selection and financing plans for a proposed minor‑league ballpark and scheduled another public meeting for Jan. 30, organizers said.

The group presented a narrowed list of five candidate sites after winnowing an original 13–14 possibilities and described a checklist of 13 evaluation criteria — led by the ability to accommodate a ballpark — used to score parcels. Ike Leland, a local architect and chair of the site‑selection committee, said the group visited sites and “ended up with about 13 or 14. After some more investigation, they eliminated themselves down to 8 sites,” and then five that remain under active consideration.

Why it matters: organizers said a new ballpark could attract an existing Pioneer League franchise or an expansion franchise, generate local spending and seasonal jobs, and require public decisions about how to allocate financing and whether to site the facility inside or outside city limits.

Financing and cost estimates Carl England, chair of the finance committee, said the group bracketed construction costs at roughly $1 million to $3 million for a new 3,000–4,000 seat park based on per‑seat estimates from other recent parks. “This isn't even an estimate. It's a bracket. It's not a hard number,” England said, stressing the figure is preliminary and excludes land costs. Committee members told attendees they did not yet know how much additional land acquisition would add; one exchange cited roughly $700,000 as the asking price for the Miller Creek parcel.

The committee reviewed multiple public and private funding tools: grants, general obligation bonds (which require a city vote), revenue bonds (which do not require a public vote but generally require the city to own the facility), citizen bonds, private fundraising and corporate donations, and a citywide special improvement district (SID). Organizers described the SID as a way to spread cost across all city parcels and avoid a voted bond in some circumstances. City finance director Chuck Stearns said a citywide SID can assess tax‑exempt property and showed an illustrative tax impact: “On a $3,000,000 citywide SID, on a $50,000 piece of property, the increase in taxes would be $10.63 per year. And on a $100,000 piece of property, the increase would be $21.26 per year for 20 years.”

Organizers said revenue bonds alone would likely be insufficient because minor‑league operating income is generally too small to support large debt service; revenue bonds could be part of a mixed finance package but not the sole source for a multimillion‑dollar park.

Franchise options and operations Carlton (committee member, franchise team) outlined three ownership models: city ownership (dismissed early), locally owned public corporation (the preferred option), or privately owned by an outside owner. He said publicly held, community‑owned franchises in Billings and Great Falls are among the most successful in the Pioneer League. On franchise cost, attendees were told an expansion franchise might be in the neighborhood of $250,000 and that recent sales of existing franchises have exceeded $300,000.

On annual operating costs for a club, committee members cited an estimate of about $75,000 per year for team operational expenses (not including player salaries, which are paid by the parent Major League club). Organizers also noted a commonly cited local economic benefit figure — roughly $1 million in community spending related to a club's presence — while acknowledging that number is an informal estimate.

Site‑specific issues and next steps The committee listed several sites still under consideration including the Champion parcel (which the group has discussed with its owner about a possible land donation), Miller Creek (quoted in the meeting at about $700,000), Lindbergh/Craig (which has a prior arrangement limiting use but could be canvassed again), Campbell Field (involving the University of Montana and described as uncertain), and a downtown option that would require Missoula Redevelopment Agency (MRA) involvement or boundary expansion.

Organizers said public polling and neighborhood canvassing would be needed before final site selection. “At a very minimum before any final site is selected, we have to do a community poll,” Bill Lisonbee, chairman of Missoula Baseball Advocates, told the meeting. The group also said it is coordinating with a separate winter‑sports committee to explore a multipurpose complex — for example, shared restrooms, concessions and parking — to improve public acceptance and broaden funding options.

League dependencies and timeline Committee members described several contingencies outside local control. Carlton outlined a scenario in which Major League Baseball expansion could cascade — if a big‑league team lands in Denver, that could push Salt Lake up a level and free a Pioneer League slot for Missoula — but he cautioned those outcomes depend on multiple, uncertain moves by other clubs and leagues. Organizers said even with favorable conditions, play in Missoula would be unlikely before 1993 under current timelines discussed at the meeting.

Public engagement and records The meeting was recorded for possible broadcast on MCAT and organizers asked attendees to register interest in committee work. Lisonbee said the Advocates will continue outreach and will post architectural renderings and schematics as they become available before making formal fundraising pitches.

Ending Organizers reiterated they will continue site negotiations, refine cost estimates once a site is identified, and pursue a mixed funding approach that could include public, private and philanthropic contributions. They asked interested residents to contact committee members to join site‑selection, finance or franchise subcommittees and to attend the Jan. 30 public meeting.