I have been watching, with great interest, the work of the Boise Chamber of Commerce and the Better Boise Coalition Committee, and their campaign to build a new baseball park in Boise.

I have been a lifetime sports fan in the Boise Valley, and feel that sports are an important part of our community. With that being said, I do have some concerns on how this project is being approached.

With as many issues as we have in Downtown Boise and the need to bolster all venues and keep a proper balance, how can they expect the City of Boise or Chamber of Commerce to take on this standalone project?

I question the mayor investing $20,000 of our taxpayers’ money in a recent study. However, I commend him for not pushing for taxpayer support.

I know the owners of the Chicago Cubs have threatened to pull the Cubs’ minor-league franchise out of Boise. It is also interesting that the Hawks are not locally owned, as are the Idaho Stampede (NBA Development League) and the Idaho Steelheads (ECHL hockey). It is easy to make demands when you do not have an emotional or physical presence locally.

We should be aware and learn from other cities. The same situation took place in Reno several years ago. The team owners from New York City threatened the city of Reno. The city invested local dollars and taxpayer money to build a new ballpark. It has since turned into a financial disaster and created many legal issues.

The Boise State University athletic department has done a great job soliciting local contributions and quasi-government bonds to keep up with its continued growing sports empire. However, we have problems surrounding other local entertainment venues.

There are very serious issues with the future growth of the convention center. We must find a way to fund that growth and get away from the political turmoil surrounding it.

We also have an aging downtown arena that is privately owned, causing the owners to subsidize it every year. This creates many problems and financial challenges for the two primary tenants (Stampede and Steelheads), which are locally owned sports franchises.

My suggestion is to address the baseball park, the convention center and the downtown arena at the same time. Let’s make sure we are doing what is best for everyone and creating a master plan that moves our city forward on all fronts.

To attempt this project on a single-interest platform lacks good judgment on the part of individuals or civic groups promoting it.