Camarillo Debates Ventura Stadium Plan

A proposal to build a minor league baseball stadium in Ventura was debated before the Camarillo City Council Wednesday night, with some fans urging the city to support the regional ballpark and others preferring the city save its money for police or other services.

Camarillo resident Harlan Snyder asked City Council members not to contribute public dollars to the the construction of the 5,500-seat stadium, reminding them that it could leave the city burdened with long-term debt.

“This would put us in a state of bonded indebtedness that the city could never afford,” Snyder said.

But Jim Colborn, a former pitcher for the Kansas City Royals and a Ventura resident, spoke in favor of the city helping with the ballpark’s $15.6-million construction costs.

“Modern minor league baseball is like going to a ballgame at Disneyland,” Colborn said. “It’s safe, clean and magical.”

The council was asked Wednesday to decide whether the new stadium should be built on a parcel near the Ventura Auto Mall. Camarillo is considering developing the ballpark jointly with the cities of Ventura and Oxnard.

But some Camarillo council members have said it was unfair to expect Camarillo--with its smaller population--to pay the same portion of the construction cost as the other two cities.

Unless the proposal is modified, Camarillo would have to pay one-third of the stadium’s construction cost, or about $600,000 a year. It would also have to cover part of the operating deficit if the ball club lost money, City Manager Bill Little said in a report to the council.

“I don’t have any problems with a stadium being built, I just have problems with the way it is proposed to be financed,” Councilman David Smith said before the meeting. “I cannot see how I could support this project the way it is currently structured.”

Councilwoman Charlotte Craven, perhaps the project’s most vocal critic, said she opposed the idea of publicly financing it.

“I think this is the kind of facility that should be privately financed,” Craven said. “I think baseball stadiums are fine, but keeping libraries open and making sure that we continue to provide other city services to our residents has got to take a priority.”

Mayor Ken Gose, the city’s representative on the three-city stadium committee, told his colleagues that it is the role of local government to provide wholesome family recreation.

“This would be a complex that would serve the recreational needs of all people and of all backgrounds,” Gose said. “I believe this is something that would bring us together.”

Monday, the Ventura City Council unanimously supported the ballpark’s proposed Ventura location.

Then on Tuesday, the Oxnard City Council also voted unanimously to support the Ventura site, but voiced concerns on costs and traffic--especially since two nearby Ventura Freeway interchanges are already among the county’s most congested.

With Camarillo’s endorsement of the Ventura site, the three cities must next decide whether to form a joint powers authority to govern the sports complex. A proposed Tri-Cities Sports Authority would own and operate the facility, sharing its costs and profits.

Last spring, an official of the California League promised to deliver a Class-A baseball club should a new stadium be built. The three cities spent about $85,000 to hire the Spectrum Group, an experienced sports consulting firm, to study the proposal.