EVERETT — A $7.4 million state Legislature earmark is being proposed for a much better ballpark in Everett to retain the AquaSox minor league team.
The cash was in the state Senate's capital budget released March 20.
"It is a big piece of news," said Everett City Councilman Don Schwab, an AquaSox fan who's watching things progress closely as the committee's liaison.
Just $7.4 million isn't enough to build a stadium. However, it's seed money which Schwab said the money gives the flexibility to look at different sites.
Four locations have been identified so far. Heavily refurbishing the Everett School District's Funko Field is one of them. The others are to reuse part of Kasch Park and Walter E. Hall Golf Course; to redevelop an area downtown around Pacific and Smith streets including the city public works yard; or a spot by the Everett Mall.
Funko Field's site is being considered just as seriously as the other potential locations, city spokeswoman Simone Tarver said.
If one gets built, the Everett AquaSox minor league baseball team is committing to a 30-year or longer lease to anchor it.
A committee of AquaSox managers, county leaders, baseball fans in the community and city officials have been working on the plan since October. It’s a joint study of the city and the county. They’ve hired consultants to bring data as well.
For the new ballpark, leaders are thinking beyond baseball.
It would have an amphitheater for concerts. A grounds-space for public use. Maybe outline markings for a soccer in the outfield. A delegation from Snohomish County toured stadiums like this on the East Coast, and the multi-purpose stadium in Kannapolis, North Carolina caught their eye.
It would be a compact, efficient design with plenty in it, Schwab said.
Next is to "narrow the options down to the most feasible sites and study those further," Tarver said.
Stricter facility standards by Major League Baseball is driving the move to act.
There was a revamp for the whole minor league system in 2021 that focused on better professional working conditions. Teams such as the Sox signed agreement licenses to be part of Minor League Baseball. Other teams got shaken out and now play in independent baseball leagues.
The MLB added stadium facility requirements for safety and comfort, such as separate women’s locker rooms, and put a deadline on it to meet the checklist. These are non-negotiable: Without completing these, the team’s standing becomes jeopardized. A majority of teams across the minor leagues are now scrambling for help, as the MLB puts it on the ball clubs to make this happen..
Mayor Cassie Franklin this month tasked her staff to create a fiscally responsible plan to re-develop the existing stadium or construct a new stadium. Either will help energize the local economy and “ensure we are the sports and entertainment center of our County for decades to come,” Franklin said in a statement.
“Snohomish County is committed to doing all we can to keep the AquaSox here," the county's Executive Director for Economic Development,
A Boungjaktha, said in a statement. Boungjaktha is the county's representative on the committee.
