Due to funding gridlock, an agreement has not yet been reached concerning plans for a $23 million four-thousand seat multi-use facility in Vancouver. The stadium would take the place of Clark's Kindsfather Field, and would be used by the college, the community and possibly the Yakima Bears.
There is currently a 50-50 chance that this plan will be approved by the Clark County commissioners, according to Board of Trustees member Royce Pollard. Pollard is a former mayor of Vancouver and a big supporter of baseball.
County commissioners have worked to come up with payment plans for the stadium, but all have failed so far. Without a reasonable plan, the facility won't be approved.
"If we don't do it, we will be sorry," Pollard said.
"While people tend to refer to this as a baseball stadium, it is important to remember that it is actually a multi-use facility," Clark College Foundation President and CEO Lisa Gibert said.
According to Gibert, the new facility welcomes baseball, soccer, softball and other community events. It also allows Clark the capacity to hold its graduation ceremony on campus.
"I'm not sure the community really understands the possibilities," Pollard said. "Students should understand how important it (the stadium) is for the future."
If approved, the stadium will be built prior to the 2013 baseball season. The college, however, won't be paying for the building of the facility.
The college will provide parking for events held at the facility. This will not complicate the parking situation for students, as events will be held on weekends.
When the stadium is fully paid off, it will become the property of Clark, according to Gibert and Pollard.
One proposal made by Clark County Commissioner Steve Stuart to help pay for this facility is an entertainment tax of five percent. Venues that would be affected by this tax would be movie chains, the Clark County Fair, The Sleep Country Amphitheater and the Washougal Motocross Park. Stuart proposed that during the 20-year payment period, the public would pay 40 percent of the cost through the tax and therefore be allotted 40 percent of the usage. The Bears would pay 30 percent while the remaining 30 percent would come from private investors.
Pollard views the tax as an admission fee. He explained that it's not a true tax because a tax is something everyone must pay. Attending a movie or going to a concert are only options, and patrons decide whether or not they're going to go to them.
Pollard said the countywide admissions tax would be "a small price to pay," adding that he would rather take his grandkids to a baseball game than to go see a movie.
"The Vancouver City Council will have to agree that, for the life of the stadium debt, it will pay a portion of the debt even if a future city council decides to enact a citywide admissions tax for some other purpose," Columbian reporter Stephanie Rice said.
The Columbian also reported that the Portland-Vancouver market is the largest metropolitan area in the country without a baseball team, and that the Yakima Bears showed interest last May in moving to Vancouver.
The Class A Bears would use the facility, which would promote Vancouver and bring attention to the city.
"It would enhance the region because it would provide the type of facility for the college and community that simply isn't available now," Gibert said.
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