Ottawa stadium proposals may help end Lynx disputes: councillor

Several new proposals might alleviate multimillion-dollar legal disputes between the Ottawa Lynx baseball franchise and the City of Ottawa, a city councillor said.

If thetriple-A InternationalLeagueteam leaves Ottawa next season, as it appears it will,it will owe the city $3 million for the remaining two years ofits lease.

Meanwhile, one of the team's owners, Ray Pecor, is suing the city for $11 million, claiming the city breached its contract by not providing enough parking at the Lynx'smunicipally owned stadium.

But a couple of new proposals could help resolve those disputes, Coun. Rainer Bloess said Thursday.

"They might just take one of the irritants off the table and allow us to come up with a deal that basically lets a lot of people off the hook," he said.

Officials from the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball met with city councillors Thursday. Miles Wolff, who ownsthe Capitales de Qubec baseball team in Quebec City, said he'd like to try starting a new team.

"In Quebec City, we're averaging around 3500 a game. It's got good support community-wide," he said. "We think in Ottawa, with a million people, the base would be there."

Jim Baba, a spokesman for Baseball Canada, supported Wolff's bid and said he wants to use the Lynx facilities in Ottawa for national team training camps and possibly some national championship events.

A local entrepreneur has also expressed interest in the stadium and has floated a $40-million revamp that includes putting a dome on the ballpark.

Pennsylvania businessmen Joseph Finley and Craig Stein became majority owners of the Lynx in August 2006. They said they planned to move the team in 2008 to Allentown, Pa., where a new $34-million stadium was to be built. The team's move had not been officially announced by Friday, but a web page fortheLehigh Valley IronPigs the new name for the Lynx was already online.