Cavs, Guardians seek $100M+ in state money to fund stadium repairs
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Progressive Field. Photo: Tasha Tsiaperas/Axios
The Cavaliers and Guardians are seeking more than $100 million in state money to help cover mounting repairs and upgrades at Rocket Arena and Progressive Field.
Why it matters: The public is on the hook for most of these costs. Former local lawmakers agreed to the lease terms as a condition of the teams' staying put.
- The primary vehicle for funding facility repairs is Cuyahoga County's sin tax on alcohol and cigarettes, but that's been an insufficient revenue source for years.
Follow the money: The state money would come from a competitive grant program created as part of last year's Browns stadium subsidy package.
- Lawmakers set aside $600 million for the new Brook Park stadium from Ohio's pot of unclaimed funds — dormant money from residents' old paychecks, security deposits, insurance payouts and other sources.
- The state carved out an additional $400 million for other pro sports facilities.
By the numbers: The grants could cover up to 25% of project costs.
- The Cavs are requesting $40 million to help pay for $161 million in total arena projects, per Cleveland.com, including upgrades tied to Cleveland's expansion WNBA team.
- The Guardians are seeking $65 million toward $259 million in total ballpark repairs.
Friction point: All this funding is currently tied up in court amid a legal challenge. Attorneys representing Ohioans call the state's plan an unconstitutional theft of private property.
The fine print: If the grants are approved, the money would flow to Gateway Economic Development Corp., the public nonprofit that titularly owns the facilities.
- Gateway would have to front the money for repairs and then seek reimbursement.
What's next: The state plans to announce grant recipients this summer. In the meantime, local leaders continue to pitch solutions to protect general fund dollars from unwieldy stadium costs.
- Mayor Justin Bibb last year pitched a special tax district in Gateway. And last week, Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne suggested quadrupling the sin tax.