The Triple-A Tucson Padres finalized a lease Monday to play the 2011 season at Kino Stadium, formerly known as Tucson Electric Park.
The agreement is for one year with an option for an additional year.
The Tucson Padres will pay all operating costs including utilities from April 1 to Sept. 15 and keep all revenues from sponsorship, signage, gate and suite receipts, concessions and merchandise.
The Tucson Padres will pay the Pima County Sports and Tourism Authority a 50-cent ticket surcharge for all paid tickets with the first $60,000 in revenue dedicated to stadium rent.
"It's a fair deal for both parties," Tucson Padres general manager Mike Feder said.
The Tucson Padres will maintain the playing field at their cost during the season. The agreement is conditional based on Pima County Board of Supervisors approval Jan. 4.
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The team will play in Tucson while a new ballpark is built in Escondido, Calif., north of San Diego.
The county released a draft of the agreement, which states Tucson AAA Baseball LLC, Feder's group, can use the stadium during the off-season for a major-league spring training game between the San Diego Padres and another team.
The deal had to be done Monday as a condition of the purchase of the Triple-A franchise by the ownership group headed by San Diego Padres owner Jeff Moorad, Feder said. Moorad's group has finalized the deal, Feder said.
"Minor League Baseball and the Pacific Coast League dictated and stated there must be a deal in place on a lease for the team to play," Feder said. "That's why everything got fast and furious at the end of last week. We knew that we had to have a deal in the Padres' hands to present to those entities. Or else, their potential purchase of the Portland club could have fallen apart just because of us."
Last week, Feder talked with city of Tucson officials about the possibility of the team playing at Hi Corbett Field. The sides were close to reaching a deal for Hi Corbett, but Tucson Toros owner Jay Zucker indicated his team would play at the ballpark next year, Feder said. Feder said there was no discussion about buying Zucker's lease.
The independent Tucson Toros have three years remaining on their lease at Hi Corbett. The Toros announced in October they would go on hiatus next season, but they are planning to host spring training and a possible all-star game.
Zucker said he did not inform the city his team would play next season. He said the organization will determine the length of its hiatus.
The financial difference in leases at the stadiums was "substantial enough" for Hi Corbett to be considered, Feder said. Operating costs would be lower at Hi Corbett, the older of the two stadiums.
"If I had a chance to better our deal representing our investors, I had to look at it," Feder said. "It would have been a better financial deal. The deal (at Kino Stadium) was acceptable to us. We knew we could make it work."
Feder said he also looked at Hi Corbett because Kino Stadium will be unavailable April 30 because of a festival, but the team might instead play a doubleheader another day. In addition, some fans prefer attending games at Hi Corbett, site of the former Triple-A Tucson Toros.
Although officials discussed Hi Corbett, an agreement in principle for the team to use Kino Stadium existed for four or five weeks, PCSTA chairman Tom Tracy said.
"We came out with an agreement that works extremely well for the county, the taxpayers, Mike and his management group, and Mr. Moorad's ownership group," Tracy said.
At a glance
Terms of the agreement for the Tucson Padres to play at Kino Stadium:
• 1-year agreement with a 1-year option to renew
• Tucson Padres will pay all operating costs from April 1 to Sept. 15
• Tucson Padres will keep all revenues, including sponsorship, gate receipts and concessions.
