by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Over the last month, negotiations between the City and the Jacksonville Suns have resembled more of a roller coaster ride than anything else. While both sides acknowledge that agreements on several aspects of the lease of the new $25 million ball park between the team and the City have been reached, one new issue is now on the table.
With demolition of Wolfson Park slated for about a week after the end of the Suns season and the new park scheduled to be substantially completed by March 27, 2003, the Suns will be without office facilities for several months. That irritates Suns owner and general manager Peter Bragan Jr., who contends his current lease contains language that would allow his offices to remain at Wolfson Park until the new offices are complete. The City has countered by offering the Bragan office space in another part of downtown, rent free, in exchange for the September demolition of Wolfson Park. The City also will provide labor to assist Bragan in both moves, should he agree to work out of the temporary offices.
“That’s becoming a lease agreement point and we are not going to negotiate the lease through the press,” said Sam Mousa, the City’s chief administrative officer.
Bragan says he’s well aware of the City’s intention to tear down the old park in about a month, but remains steadfast in his belief that the current contract terms will take precedence.
“It [Wolfson Park] may not come down until next February,” said Bragan, referring to February 2003. “The City says they are going to move forward with their plans, but we have a contract that says we stay until the new offices are built.”
The City’s desire to demolish Wolfson Park as soon as possible is two-fold. First, the space is needed for Jacksonville Jaguars and other football parking that was lost when Lot R was taken by the new baseball park. Two, the City has assured organizers of the Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair that the space would be available when the annual two-week fair comes to town in late October.
In a letter to Mayor John Delaney, Bragan acknowledged both of those issues and offered a proposal that would both provide the needed parking spaces and allow the Suns to maintain offices in their current location. Bragan’s proposal simply calls for tearing down the first base and outfield walls, opening the park’s field for Jaguars parking and whatever the Fair needs. He also believes such a proposal would allow — should the new park not be ready on time — the City to easily construct a temporary outfield fence in order for the Suns to play in Wolfson Park until the new park is ready. More than anything, though, Bragan doesn’t want to have to move his offices twice within a short time span.
Mousa said he doesn’t have any reservations about the new park being ready on time. He said the new park’s construction manager, the Barton Malow Company, has “never failed to deliver a sports facility on time, and ours will not be the first.” According to Mousa, if the new park isn’t substantially ready by March 27, “there will be liquidated damages assessed” each day and those amounts are currently being negotiated.
On a positive note, both Bragan and Mousa agree that many elements of the new lease have been covered recently and amicable agreements have been reached.
“That’s a fair assessment,” said Mousa. “We are encouraged by the discussions, but we aren’t there yet. We think we will get there.”
“It’s coming along,” said Bragan of the negotiations. “Their lawyer met with our lawyer and our lawyer was very encouraged. A lot of ground was given and there are only a couple of sticky points. It seems like we are moving forward and we want to get this done as soon as possible.”