EVERETT, Wash. — On Tuesday, dozens of people packed the Weyerhaeuser Room at Everett Station to hear about the future home for the Aquasox, the city's Minor League Baseball team. Mandated facility changes came down from MLB, which led to this project.
Ben Franz, a consultant hired by the city, presented three options to the public: renovating Funko Field, building a new downtown stadium, and making no changes to Funko Field.
If no changes are made, the Aquasox would more than likely be forced to leave Everett.
Renovating Funko Field would cost less money than building a new stadium, but the return on investment would be less in large part because the school district owns it.
"Even if the City of Everett were to put $40, $50M into it, the revenue the city gets back based on that is limited because the district owns the site, they enter in the lease with Aquasox," Franz said.
Building a new stadium downtown would cost the most, but the city would see the highest return on investment.
"It represents a significant amount more revenue that the city could recapture. The city would own the facility. There could be a potential partnership with United Soccer League," Franz said.
Opinions varied across the meeting room. When it came time for questions and comments, people clapped for everyone who spoke, regardless of their opinions.
Mayor Cassie Franklin, who's championed the project, understands the optics of spending millions on a new baseball stadium but says it has to be done.
"If I had my choice, I would have chosen a different time to build a stadium. Communities are struggling. Taxes are high. We have to do the right thing by our community, do it as efficiently as possible, but we have to build a new stadium to maintain our minor league team," Mayor Franklin said.
Everett City Council will make a decision in December.
Mandated changes from MLB include the following: a larger clubhouse, renovated locker rooms, field lighting improvements, an area for female staffers, and updated training facilities. Every year those changes aren't in effect, the Aquasox are fined thousands of dollars by MLB.