Minutes 01/02/1945 - Laserfiche WebLink

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At a special meeting of th~ City Council, held on Jahuary 2nd, 1945,there were ~resent: Leslie T. Fox, George ~i Grimes, James N. Howard, W~' R. Hutchin~, Frank D. Lawrence, E~Robie Sturtevant, C. E. ~arren,H. Earl Weiseman, Pearte J. Wile0n, and Arthur S. Owens, City Manager. The following call was read: "Please attend a special meeting of the City Council at 7:30 P.M., on Tues day, January'2ad, 1955, to consider bids on the stadium." The following letZers~were~]~read and ordered filed: let - ~WHEREA$'~he matter of~leasing the City Stadium for baseball pmrposes ~s been duly considered by the Board of Directors of the Portsmouth Chamber of Commeroe~ and-it is unanimously agreed that the favorable nationwide advertising annually received by this City through its pro- fessional baseball team is of inestimable value and worth many times the sum represented by the s~adium! ease~ and WHEREAS, that loss of the organized professional baseball franchise would boh~Stitute a9 irreparable loss in prestige to the City and crea~iona± assets ~o many cf its citizens, - - .THEREFOP~ BE ITRESOLVED that the City Council be and hereby is ~e- quested to r$~c~ any and all bids whic~ do not guarantee organized professibnal baseball fo'r Portsmouth. ' ~espectfully submitted, Forrest U. Ross, President Ray J. Dunn, Managing Director Jesse E. Overton, SecretarY." "P~r~smouth PoSt ~37, American Le~ion~, desires to enter its protest against tae leasing of th~ Municipal Stadium to anyone for use othe~ thau orofes sional~'baseball. . - This stadium was erected on the promise of the Portsmouth Baseball Ocr - potation to lease the same at an annual rental of $2,500.00 and since its erection the citizens of Portsmouth have enjoyed professional baseba!l.' The amount of advertising afforded the City by professional baseball could not be bought for many thousands of dollars per year. Therefore, how can the City Council contemplate leasing this stadium for the playing of non- professional baseball in order to gain a paltry $625.00? In addition to sponsoring professional baseball in Portsmouth, the Port~- mouth Baseball Corporation hms been very helpful in fostering Junior base- ball in this City which of itself has been a big help to this community. We therefore respectfully request that the City Council continue to lease ~he stadium to the Portsmouth BaSeball Corporation, who is the only one who can offer the City professional baseball. Yours very truly, Vincent L. Parker, Commander, Portsmouth Post ~37, American Legion." "We, the undersigned citizens of the City of Portsmouth, do hereby petition your honorable body concerning the letting of a lease for the use of the City Stadium, that, to whomsoever the lease be given, that s clause be in- serted prohibiting the alcoholic beverages, including beer by anyone, at any time, within the stadium. W. W. White and numerous others." 28th, igt , The following communication from the City Manager was read: "At the regular meeting of the I advised you-as follows: Council of the City of Portsmouth, on December ,Pursusnt to a resolution adopted by the Council on November 9th, 1943~-bids were advertised in the P~rtsmou~h S~ar on December 10th and 12th, at 12:O0 noon. The bids, which were opened on December 18th, were as follows: Portsmouth Baseball Corporation - $2,500.00 per year G.H.Turner - 3,125.00 " " It appears ~o me tha~ the bids for the stadium a~e inadequate to sustain the cos~ of operation, and t am ~herefore respectfully requesting that all bids be rejected and tha~ we readvertise again for bidders in the hope of gaining adequate revenue for the City to sustain the cost of operation." Motion of Mr. Hutohins te concur in the Manager's recommendation and that he be requested to re-advertise at once, was adopted. On motion adjourned.