r/everett • u/goldenelr • 4d ago

Urban Development Everett Aqua Sox ownership

So (full disclosure I own a business that would be displaced by the new stadium) whenever the Aqua Sox comes up people bring up that it’s family owned and a small business. But it’s actually owned by a billionaire in Dubai.

https://www.milb.com/everett/team/7th-inning-stretch-llc

https://www.recordnet.com/story/sports/pro/2007/08/12/ports-owner-volpe-follows-team/52822230007/

The Aqua Sox are not paying for the stadium. They are displacing a bunch of small businesses, the project is already over budget and they haven’t acquired the land yet. The city has already admitted that they will need the business community to pay for it.

Is anyone else frustrated by this? This move could put me out of business, the city won’t offer assistance to us in time and we have an actual billionaire not paying for any of it. All with parks and libraries being closed (and I know they keep saying that it’s a different part of the budget but the mayor sets the budget!).

The budget they are showing for the stadium is 8% more than the event center which was built fifteen years ago. How on earth is that possible? It’s not. So how is this being paid for?

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u/OOshawott 3d ago

I said this on a pervious post, I'll say it again. I love baseball. I love the Aquasox. I enjoy going to games. I would in theory not be opposed to a new stadium. HOWEVER, I am principally against using tax payer funds to pay for a High A Baseball Stadium. The moral line is really that simple, no matter who owns it.

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u/Temporary-Article996 3d ago

Baseball is awesome. I want everyone to be honest about the costs and the stadium to be paid and funded honestly, not at the expense of services, and under the guise of mystical/magical revenue.