RENO, Nev. (KRNV & MyNews4.com) -- The $30 million Aces ballpark refinancing deal is scheduled to be back on the Reno City Council agenda next week. It's raising questions about whether the Aces will stay in Reno if the deal is taken off the table. One local business owner says if the Aces leave downtown, he'll follow.
"We thought it would be a great location next to a baseball stadium and I still think it is," said Co-owner of Silver Peak restaurants David Silverman.
But that's only with the Aces next door. Silvermans says they never would have opened Slice of the Peak downtown if the ballpark wasn't across the street. If the Aces leave, Slice probably will too.
"The amount of traffic we get in the off season is definitely less than the traffic we get during game days," Silverman said. "So if there's no baseball team over there, there's not going to be business for us."
Reno City Manager Andrew Clinger says he understands why Silverman might make that decision.
"That's an area that if you look at it before the baseball stadium was there, I mean, it was really a blighted area," Clinger said.
Silverman expressed his concerns at the city council special meeting last week.
"I encouraged them to consider what needs to be done to work it out - not at all costs, but to make the deal happen," Silverman said. "The consequences of not having the team there and of having the empty stadium are great."
Especially when that team just won a national championship title.
But Silverman says it's not just about the All-American pastime.
"I think it's bigger than just baseball," Silverman said.
It's about the local community.
"It gives the city of Reno national recognition," Clinger said. "It's just like when the Apple deal was announced. That really becomes international news and, again, it puts the spotlight on the city of Reno in a very positive way.
"The city council is going to be making a very important decision," Silverman said. "I hope they make the one that's in the best interest of everyone."
That decision could be made as early as next Wednesday.
