Gilbert (Ariz.) Shoots Down Use Of Taxpayer Money For Brewers' Spring Training Facility

Gilbert (Ariz.) Mayor Jenn Daniels said that if the Brewers want to move their spring training facility to the town, they will have to do it "without taxpayer money," according to Jessica Boehm of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC. The Brewers asked Gilbert to build a $90M spring training facility earlier this year, but Daniels yesterday said the town has not talked to the Brewers since June 13 after a "parting of the ways" after Gilbert felt the deal was "not a great fit ... from a financial perspective." Daniels said that the town "did its 'due diligence' during six months of discussions with the Brewers, even commissioning an economic impact study, which showed the cost of the stadium outweighed the economic benefits." The town would have paid between $8-10M per year to "build and operate the facility," and would have seen about $4M in increased revenue. But this "doesn't necessarily mean the Brewers won't move to Gilbert." They just "won't be getting public dollars to build the ballpark" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 8/9).