Letter to the Editor

Can community really afford a new ballpark?

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Dear Editor,

I read in the August 2, 2022 edition of The McCook Gazette, about the very generous gift by the Benjamins to build a huge ballpark complex north of McCook. The article also lists additional monies from an unnamed donor plus revenue from the McCC and hospital Foundations. In the article, it is difficult to ferret out the total pledged from donors—total of $5.5 million or does this amount include the Foundations’ pledges? However, it is stated that $6 million would be needed from taxpayers via the proposed 0.5% sales tax increase in order to pay for this $15 million complex.

A Gazette article reported a week ago that the ballpark complex is estimated to cost $15-20 million. Since projects routinely run over budget, splitting the difference would put the price tag at $17.5 million. Inflation is not over, so the price easily can become higher. Taxpayers would be on the hook for $6 million ..... or more like $10+ million, depending on the success of private fundraising. The article also points out that the City Manager says $50,000 additional monies are needed annually to pay back the bond above the $840,000 generated by the wanted 0.5% proposed sales tax increase. He says the $50,000 can come out of the existing 1.5% city sales tax in “uncommitted funds.” Dick Trail spoke to this in his Aug. 2 column—that City Council asked to raise the sales tax to cover the building of the Safety Center “and several other things,” and with the Center now being fully paid off, the sales tax was not reduced but kept in place.

The need for money for ballparks doesn’t end with the cost of construction. The taxpayers will be harnessed with not only paying for the biggest share of construction but with all expenses of operating this complex forever.

For a community of 7,700 people, is this truly a justifiable use of taxpayer dollars?

Respectfully submitted,

Donna Holle,

McCook, Neb.

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