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IT’S A NEW BALL GAME: $2M IN BLD UPGRADES
BLD
The city’s Big League Dreams sports complex will undergo $2 million in upgrades over the next two years.

Manteca has hammered out a new lease agreement with Unrivaled Sports to upgrade the city’s Big League Dreams sports complex.

The agreement that goes before the City Council Tuesday at 6 p.m. for approval requires the new private sector operator to make $2 million in improvements over the next two years.

“In the months to come, Unrivaled Sports will be updating branding and the park will have a renewed focus on quality,” Mayor Gary Singh said. “We’re excited about this partnership to bring the facility back to life and make it a sports destination. 

The lease, which will expire on Dec. 31, 2049, provides Unrivaled Sports with the option of adding new sports.

The Manteca BLD website notes they currently offer leagues for slow pitch, kickball, indoor soccer, flag football  youth baseball, youth fastpitch, youth indoor soccer, and youth flag football.

The agreement references the indoor arena as also being utilized for basketball, volleyball, and hockey — three sports that are not posted on the BLD website.

Singh noted upgrades are long overdue.

“We understand the frustrations with previous management, and we've been working hard to find partners who truly care about our community,” Singh said. “Let’s make this sports complex a place we can all be proud of.”

The mayor characterized the updated agreement as a “fresh start.”

The BLD complex was built with city redevelopment agency funds.

The lease was set up in a manner where the city receives annual lease payments based on a percentage of what the operator grosses. 

While 100 percent of the $28 million in RDA funds used to that will not be recouped, the city comes out ahead by avoiding ongoing maintenance and operational costs that include labor.

The first year that cost avoidance was pegged at $170,000.

The operator is also responsible for the wear and tear tab, hence the $2 million investment in upgrades over the next two years.

By the time 35 years were up, the complex’s operations and maintenance will be avoided as well as much of the original investment would be retrieved.

It should be noted the RDA funding, while levied against properties included within the special assessment district, did not impact the city’s general fund per se,

The money paid back for the lease plus the city’s cost avoidance had they been the operator for 35 years was expected to ultimately exceed $20 million.

That did two three things for the city’s general fund.

*It has resulted in $200,000 to $300,000 in annual revenue from the BLD lease.

*It has avoided $170,000 or so in general fund expenses.

*It did not obligate the city to pay back bonds plus interest given that is a cost the RDA successor agency assumed.

That said, property owners in the RDA assessment which is basically the oldest sections of Manteca are retiring the $28 million in RDA debt and interest.

The complex opened in September 2007 with six replica Major League Baseball fields, stadium style seating, two concession restaurants with indoor seating overlooking playing fields, an indoor arena, nine batting cages and a kids play area.


To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com