Council Finance Committee OKs Stingers lease renewal

WILLMAR - A City Council committee is recommending the council renew the five-year lease with the Willmar Stingers for the team’s use of Baker Diamond-Bill Taunton Stadium.
The current five-year lease with the Northwoods League Inc. and Willmar Baseball LLC (Willmar Stingers) expires this year, City Clerk-Treasurer Kevin Halliday told the committee this week.
The new lease begins Aug. 25, 2014, and expires Aug. 25, 2019. Halliday said the new lease was negotiated and subsequently reviewed by City Attorney Robert Scott.
Halliday said the new rents exceed the prior agreement by $18,540. He said the new agreement gives the city more control on playability of the field, details concession stand rules, grants Community Education and Recreation additional signage, prohibits political signs and candidate endorsement, and controls the facility close-down dates.
The council will consider the recommend at the June 16 meeting.
In other business, the committee;
- Recommended the council approve a lease agreement with Arvig Enterprises of Perham to let the company install a redundant telecommunications line for the District Court Information System in the city right-of-way in southeast Willmar. The company agrees to pay the city $2,000 to reimburse the city for right-of-way management costs.
- Recommended the council approve reallocating money from the surface water management budget to pay $158,270 charged by Kandiyohi County for repairs and redetermination of benefits on seven county ditches located in Willmar.