Sal Maglie Stadium ‘Management’ Up for Bids – Said not to be a ‘cash-cow” like Ice Pavilion!?!?
The City of Niagara Falls Division of Purchasing issued a Request for Proposals for a “License to Operate and Manage Sal Maglie Stadium.”
The successful proposer will have exclusive rights to sell food, alcohol and other beverages at the 2500 seat capacity stadium located in Hyde Park in the center of the city.
The stadium is being offered in “as-is” condition – sort of – and permits an operator to stage events that could generate ticket revenue in addition to food and beverage sales.
Sal Maglie Stadium is presently maintained by the Department of Public Works.
It has not been in regular use since 2014.
The Niagara Power baseball team stop using the stadium amid complaints that it could not get core maintenance issues addressed by the city while at the same time the city refused to let the team make its own repairs or needed maintenance.
The city cited union issues prevented the team from doing common maintenance items like changing the light bulbs.
Explaining why the management of the stadium is being put out to bid, Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster told the Niagara Gazette, “We don’t regard the direct operation of Sal Maglie as a cash cow. It doesn’t have the same income possibilities as something like the (Hyde Park) ice pavilion.”
The city invested $13 million into the Ice Pavilion – bonding some of the cost – since Dyster has been mayor and collects an annual rent of $240,000 per year from the operator who won a bid in 2014.
At the present rent, it will take 55 years to recoup the $13 million investment of the so-called “cash cow” not counting interest on the bond.
Besides the bleachers and a regulation sized baseball field which is in disrepair, amenities at Sal Maglie include parking lots, a small concession area, ticket booths, two elevators, locker rooms and bathrooms.
Sealed proposals will be received by the City Purchasing Division at City Hall, Room 17, 745 Main Street, Niagara Falls, New York, 14302 no later than February 1, 2016 at 11:00 A.M.
The length of the license term shall be for a minimum of three (3) years commencing on April 1, 2016 (or sooner), with a maximum term of five (5) years.
The deal may not – much like the Ice Pavilion make money for the city given the deferred maintenance and the terms of the RFP.
While the proposal is to include rent paid to the City and offers an option to pay in one lump sum or monthly, the city will be responsible for repairs of the stadium facility structure and its fixtures such as the elevator, electrical system, plumbing and lighting system and parking lot
Routine maintenance (i.e. replacement of light bulbs, winterizing the stadium facility,) are the responsibility of the operator and, evidently, if the operator wants to fix the scoreboard or improve the condition of the playing field he or she may do so at their own expense.
The city estimates it will cost an operator $149,183.32 to maintain the stadium annually and will make periodic inspections to insure the facility is being maintained and operated in a satisfactory condition.
Highest bidder may not necessarily be chosen.
Among the items to be considered in making its selection determination, the City will, among other things, take into consideration rental payments, but also the uses proposed, as well as the business background, experience and qualifications of the licensee/staff.
The amateur New York Collegiate Baseball League Niagara Power played 23 games at Sal Maglie each summer, and the stadium also hosted high school sporting events until recently.
Niagara Gazette sportswriter Doug Smith estimated that about 1,193 professional baseball games were played since the stadium opened as Hyde Park Stadium in 1939 and that about 1.2 million people attended games played by the various minor league Rainbows, Citizens, Bisons, Rapids, and Mallards.
