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05/21/2006
Businesses ready to play ball as baseball season nearsMany extend hours, hire more workers
Rico’s Cafe and Pizzeria is located on U.S. 31 in Grawn. TRAVERSE CITY — Richard Dubro doesn't know exactly how the new Traverse City Beach Bums baseball club will affect his nearby restaurant, but he already sees some positive signs. "I can't keep their game schedules in the restaurant," said Dubro, owner of Rico's Cafe and Pizzeria along U.S. 31 in Grawn, just a long fly ball west of the Bums' ballpark. "Every time I walk by the little holder, I have to put more in." Businesses along the U.S. 31 corridor are hiring more workers, extending hours and dreaming up special promotions in anticipation of this week's debut of the Traverse Beach Bums minor league baseball club. Shiny new Wuerfel Park towers over the Chum's Corner area, and expectations are on the rise in a segment of the Grand Traverse area known and oft-dismissed for its hodge-podge strip development. It's about to become a destination point. Dubro's measured optimism about Beach Bums spin-off is shared by several business owners near the park who hope for an influx of customers and commerce. "None of us really know what to expect, exactly," he said. "We're expecting a nice influx of people in the area." Marge Hayes already sees a business uptick at the Northern Lites bar and grill across from the stadium, with club employees and players stopping in for a beer or to shoot pool. "We've had to hire some more people," Hayes said. The business added another cook and three more wait staff because she expects to be busier before and after each of the team's 48 home games. "I would think it can't be anything but good bringing that many people to this side of town," she said. Culver's restaurant owner Brad Johnson agrees. He knows plenty of food will be sold within the ballpark, but still expects a boost for his across-the-road eatery. "This ballpark gives people a good reason to come out this way," he said. "Each time they play, we'll come up with some enticement to try and get people to stop." Other local businesses are banking on the club's success by re-routing chunks of their advertising budgets toward the Beach Bums and away from other summer venues like the National Cherry Festival. Cellular One, a regional cellular telephone company, signed a three-year contract for exclusive rights to ballpark dugout advertising. "From a competitive standpoint, it sets us a little bit apart from our competitors and gives us some brand awareness," marketing manager Sarah Harding said. "You're getting your impression out there to thousands of people who are going to sit in those seats and see our name." Club officials said they're pleased with the response they've received from advertisers and sponsors. Options range from a $12,000-a-year sign on the club's video scoreboard to banners on the outfield walls, to smaller ads in the programs and scorecards. Beach Bums general manager Leslye Wuerfel said some potential sponsors took a "wait-and-see" approach. "Some people said they didn't want it to be like the Enforcers, and that's fair," she said, referring to a Traverse City-based minor league hockey club that went under after one season. Others see that as unlikely. "I think the 'wow' factor will be there at least for a couple years," said Ryan Ribel, of H. Cox and Sons beer and wine wholesalers. The company is buying major advertising at the park — he wouldn't state how much — and will be one of two local beer and alcoholic beverage vendors at the stadium. "We've re-allocated a lot of dollars out there," Ribel said. "It's a great sampling venue for us." The new stadium already is Blair Township's top property tax generator. Tax rolls are updated at the end of each year, and as of Dec. 31, the then-partially completed stadium had an assessed value of just under $1.9 million — or an estimated $3.8 million in true cash value. The estimated worth of the completed stadium is around $6 million, Wuerfel said. The current annual tax bill is almost $87,000, a figure that will increase significantly when the completed ballpark goes on the tax roll at year's end. Blair's next-highest taxpayer is Michigan Consolidated Gas Co., with about a $60,000 annual tax bill, township officials said. Local tourism officials also see the Beach Bums as a regional drawing card and an evening complement to the area's main recreational attractions like beaches, trails and golf courses. "Most importantly, what the Beach Bums gives us is new product — great value and entertainment," said Brad Van Dommelen, president of the Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau. "I think it's going to be — I hate to say it — a home run," he said. [an error occurred while processing this directive] |
