BY MARK SCHUMANN

The hottest item on the County Commission agenda this week was the stalled negotiations between the county and the Verotown investor group, which is now leasing and operating the Vero Beach Sports Village.

According to Vero Beach Sports Village Vice President Craig Callan, the meeting did not go well, at least not from the perspective of Peter O’Malley, former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.  O’Malley heads the Verotown group, which includes his sister, Terry O’Malley Seidler, former Dodgers Hideo Nomo and Chan Ho Park, and Minor League Baseball.

“Mr. O’Malley was surprised and very disappointed by the commissions actions today,” Callan said.

Because the current lease on the former Dodgertown property will expire May 1, 2014, the Verotown group and the county have been working to negotiate a new lease.  According to Callan, Verotown has no plans of exercising the 5-year renewal option in the existing lease.

The commission did agree to a four-month notice requirement in lieu of a provision that would have assessed $300,000 in damages for early termination.  However, other key provisions sought by Verotown group were rejected.

According to Callan, because Verotown is leasing the Vero Beach Sports Village and does not own the property, the group wants the county to continue to pay for capital improvements.

Commissioners Wesley Davis and Joe Flescher were in favor of the county paying up to $250,000 a year for repairs and replacement of capital items, such as building and lighting systems, but the motion was rejected by Commissioner Peter O’Bryan, Bob Solari and Tim Zorc.

As an alternative to paying for capital improvements, O’Malley has offered to reinvest any profits the group earns back into Vero Beach Sports Village.

According to Callan, since May 2009, operating losses were $1 million the first year, $500,000 the second, and $250,000 last year.

Callan said O’Malley had been negotiating with Major League Baseball to license the name “Historic Dodgertown,” and had been prepared to hire a national marker to help increase revenues.  Those efforts, Callan said, were put on hold until the lease issues could be resolved.

The group also wants the county to continue paying the $80,000-a-year cost for property insurance.  Though supported by Davis and Zorc, that proposal was rejected by Flescher, O’Bryan and Solari.

Currently, Verotown is spending $150,000 a month to maintain the Vero Beach Sports Village.  If the lease is not extended, or another tenant found, the county will have to pick up the maintenance costs, as it was doing before Minor League Baseball began operating the facility in May of 2009.

According to estimates by the Treasure Coast Sports Commission, Vero Beach Sports Village has contributed more than $20 million in direct economic impact to the local economy since May 2009, benefiting hotels, restaurants, retailers and other businesses.

According to Callan, Verotown has no immediate plans to close the Vero Beach Sports Village.  “However, the county should not be lulled into assuming we will be here through May 2014,” Callan said.