Oakland A owner John Fisher and team president Dave Kaval are in southern Nevada this week to investigate additional locations for a potential new stadium.
Following their visit to Las Vegas last month when they said they met with a handful of local government officials, Fisher and Kaval continued their exploration of locations on Monday for a possible new stadium, which the team estimates will be around US $ 1 billion – Would cost dollars and have 30,000 to 35,000 permanent seats.
“I think the main focus of this trip is really seeing so many of the websites and talking to people who either own or control the properties, and also just talking to people who are into Las Vegas and the mix Tourists and locals alike, ”Kaval told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Last month, A officials surveyed the areas near Las Vegas Boulevard, in the suburbs of Henderson and Summerlin, and at Cashman Field near downtown. The Las Vegas Aviators, the A’s triple-A team, play at a new ballpark in affluent Summerlin, about 12 miles west of the Strip.
“In downtown and in the city of Las Vegas and some of the options there, I find that kind of fascinating,” said Kaval. “There are a lot of people going there and that could be more urban. We are also genuinely fascinated by some of the options in Henderson and the business-friendly nature of the elected leaders and the city council there. ”
A’s executives visit comes days after the Alameda County’s board of directors said they were unwilling to accept a funding plan that the team believes is key to building a waterfront ballpark with surrounding development at Howard Terminal in Oakland.
Oakland City Council is due to discuss the team’s plans on July 20th. But district overseers said last week that a vote on the city’s motion to create a tax district to fund the infrastructure needed to build a new ballpark won’t take place until September.
Last month Major League Baseball gave the A permission to look for a new home outside of the East Bay, saying the Coliseum will no longer meet big league standards. Kaval told KTVU earlier this month that the team was on “parallel paths” with Oakland and Las Vegas, and said the A’s still wanted a waterfront baseball stadium in Oakland while exploring the southern Nevada market.
Kaval wants to keep the momentum from his trip to southern Nevada last month and tells the Review Journal that he will be meeting with more local resort owners and operators. However, no formal meeting with Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman or Henderson officials was planned until the end of last week. He recently told the news organization that talks with Las Vegas were “very early on”.
Kaval said he would travel to Arlington, Texas after his stay in southern Nevada. The A’s play against the Texas Rangers in a four-game series at Globe Life Field that ends Thursday. The Rangers Stadium, which has a retractable roof due to the scorching summer weather in the area, opened last year.
“I’m going to be looking at their retractable dome stadium because I want to see how they did it because in Las Vegas this is probably the most likely way of building a facility,” said Kaval. “I want to learn from the latest developments and meet the people who made it possible.”
