City council gave final approval Monday night to a facility use agreement with Barrie Baycats involving Coates Stadium at Barrie Community Sports Complex in Midhurst, just north of the city.
The deal is for five years — three years plus an option for two more years — from May 2021 until August 2026. The agreement includes rental fees of approximately $10,000 per year for a total of $50,000 during the five-year term. The rental fees offset all operating expenses associated with the Baycats’ use.
An advertising sign would also be rented from the Baycats, at a rate of $1,000 annually, at Coates Stadium expressing the city’s support for the Baycats and their seven IBL championship wins — one in 2005, then six in a row from 2014 to 2019.
The Baycats didn’t play in 2020 because of the pandemic, and the league cancelled its schedule.
Earlier this year, council passed a motion that city staff assist Barrie Baycats Baseball Club with the planning for and investigation of funding opportunities, such as grants and sponsorships, for the expansion of the Baycats press box and mezzanine at Coates, and report back to the city’s finance and corporate services committee.
Baycats officials are planning to go ahead with only a larger press box for broadcasting all home games, for local and visiting media, costing $100,000 to $125,000. Adding a mezzanine for fans and corporate gatherings, plus the press-box expansion, carried an estimated $400,000 price tag.
Baycats president David Mills said he has been attempting to raise outside funding for the project. He has applied for different grants being offered by the province and Ontario Trillium Fund, but to date has had no success obtaining any finances to build the expansion. Mills has said that the city, as a partner with the Baycats, should also contribute financially.
Coates Stadium is a city facility built about 20 years ago with donations and materials supplied at cost by the Baycats. The ball club pays user fees for every game, practice and summer camps, as laid out in the facility use agreement.
The city has spent some money on the baseball stadium since it was built in 2001, about $30,000 for upgrading batting equipment, exterior building lights, rubber flooring and stadium field lighting.
Last week, the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) announced two possible start dates for the 2021 season — July 1 or July 15 — with corresponding season lengths and playoffs scenarios.
The IBL is a gate-driven league, so a modest number of fans is required before it can start the regular season.
Dr. Tim Rindlisbacher, the league’s chief medical officer, a sports medicine physician, will speak on the IBL’s behalf with the provincial government to develop a return-to-play plan for the 2021 season.
