World Baseball Challenge Gets Funding for Extra Seating

By 250 News

Prince George, B.C. - The World Baseball Challenge got on base with its for funding for temporary seating, its the amount of funding that stopped the organizers from  scoring an automatic home run.

The request was for up  to $100 thousand dollars for temporary  seating for the event scheduled for next summer.  The organizers  say  they would like to add enough  temporary seating  to  allow for 3,000 seats, and a further 2,000 standing room.

The organizers say the budget for the event is just over $300 thousand dollars, and all that money is expected to be recouped.

Administration recommended Council approve setting aside $100 thousand dollars from the 2009 budget to cover the  request.   Leisure Services Tom Madden  says it may be too early to say where the dollars would come from or if in fact the full $100 thousand would be needed.  The City has already spent $24 thousand dollars in capital improvements to the site,  a special breakfast for  international  visitors, and  some and several thousand dollars on capital  improvements to the  site (Citizen field)

Madden says the  group putting on the World Baseball Challenge needs to know if the City is prepared to make a financial  committment so it can  go forward with its planning.

It is expected the World Baseball Challenge could pump $1 million dollars into the local economy.The City's Major Event Trust has a balance of $80,000 for this year, and  Council is expected to continue with its annual  donation to that fund of $190 thousand a year, so the funds are not out of reach.

Councillor Glen Scott says when you have  teams from the USA ,Cuba, Japan, and Canada coming , "We have to support that, we have to  support that."

Council  approved  the  funding of up to $100 thousand dollars,  but added should there be a surplus,  it should be put back into the  Major Events Trust.

The Mayor says if this event is successful,  it may lead to  more events and perhaps  the  building of permanent seating.

Leisure Services Tom Madden says certainly there is enough enthusiasm being generated  by this event, that perhaps  the City should  carry on with some engineering to  see  how permanent seating could be added.

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