Just a few weeks ago, the editor of the Lake Worth Herald was touting John Prince Park as a Spring Training stadium--the community needed a "boost"...setting aside the "impact of economic development" he said, "The social positives can be just as beneficial." On March 4th, the commission on a 4/1 vote passed Resolution No. 10-2014 - to support a major league baseball training camp at John Prince Park believing it would be an economic boost to Lake Worth.
Even City Manager Michael Bornstein was batting for John Prince Park when he told Channel 5 News "the potential spot is the perfect centralized location. The area offers a Tri-Rail stop, easy highway access and plenty of roads. (It's good) not just for bringing people into the city that may participate and spend some money in our economics, but also to boost our ego. You know this is a city that has had some hard knocks in the past."
Today, the Palm Beach Post disagrees with that and says that baseball is no longer a power hitter and not adding much to Florida's tourism economy as it once did.
Former economic professor at FAU said, "Baseball is one thing you can do. But it isn't as important as beaches or theme parks." I think the kids at John Prince Park would agree that they like their Splash Park, one of many amenities and things they enjoy.
From the March 25th article in the Post, sports economist Roger Noll, co-author of the book “Sports, Jobs and Taxes said: The Economic Impact of Sports Teams and Stadiums shows that as an investment, it’s silly. If they’re trying to sell it on the grounds of actually contributing to economic growth and employment, that’s wrong. There’s never been a publicly subsidized stadium anywhere in the United States that had the effect of increasing employment and economic growth in the city in which it was built.”
3 comments:
Here's a question- thousands of people a day ALREADY use JPP for free. How come THEY are not running into Lake Worth to spend money? They don't have to pay for parking , food, drinks, souvenirs and tickets to the game like the people coming into a stadium. By this Commission's logic, they should be flooding into Lake Worth to spend their money.
What great roads is Mr. Bornstein talking about? Lake Worth road on one side has no I-95 exit. 6th Ave. south on the other side has no road into the area.
I think I'm beginning to understand why Lake Worth is such a screwed up mess,,,,,,
7:40--have you ever even been to JPP? This park is visited by tourists from all over the world. It is visited by families every day. People play tennis there, soccer, etc. daily. It is used by children and families...for big social gatherings and barbecues. In order to stay at the RV park, you have to book space a year in advance. Go out and visit it sometime.
I think it is really hard to determine and to track how money spent on attractions translates into tourist dollars. Palm Beach County is an area that already has a lot of tourist dollars and already has spring training. If we add another spring training facility will we attract tourist dollars that are specific to that destination?
I think the answer is yes, I'm originally from Md. and I used to have friends that came down each year for the Orioles spring training when they were in Ft. Lauderdale. Some of those folks are now Nationals fans, will they come down, probably. Does that mean that they will spend more on hotels, eating out, etc. than someone who is just coming down to escape the snow, I don't think anyone can say.
Obviously, the folks for spring training will be concentrated in a certain area and yes the businesses in those areas are likely to see a short term upswing, but will it make a difference for their entire year, who knows.
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