Ripken Stadium and the IronBirds became an immediate sensation in Harford County when they debuted in 2002. Every game has been a sellout. And at an adjacent baseball academy, youngsters learn "the Ripken Way" on ballfields that include one modeled after Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
But the city of Aberdeen, which owns the stadium, has not shared as richly in the success as officials projected, because of critical decisions made over the past seven years. Represented by part-time politicians and advised by well-meaning businessmen, Aberdeen took on a project as risky as it was ambitious.
The city signed over to a Ripken business most of the money to be made from baseball games. Officials had intended to cover the bills in other ways, including fees, taxes and a deal with Nottingham Properties to develop adjacent land. But the city's contract with Nottingham contained no penalty for delay. The land remains mostly acres of dirt.
The result: the tiny Harford County community owes $6.7 million in stadium-related debt, and millions in interest, on a payment schedule stretching to 2022. The city's stadium fund has posted operating losses that total more than $1 million since 2001 forcing Aberdeen to dip into its treasury to meet obligations.
But the city of Aberdeen, which owns the stadium, has not shared as richly in the success as officials projected, because of critical decisions made over the past seven years. Represented by part-time politicians and advised by well-meaning businessmen, Aberdeen took on a project as risky as it was ambitious.
The city signed over to a Ripken business most of the money to be made from baseball games. Officials had intended to cover the bills in other ways, including fees, taxes and a deal with Nottingham Properties to develop adjacent land. But the city's contract with Nottingham contained no penalty for delay. The land remains mostly acres of dirt.
The result: the tiny Harford County community owes $6.7 million in stadium-related debt, and millions in interest, on a payment schedule stretching to 2022. The city's stadium fund has posted operating losses that total more than $1 million since 2001 forcing Aberdeen to dip into its treasury to meet obligations.