maricopa.gov

Chase Field in downtown Phoenix.

An Atlanta-based company wants to buy Chase Field and at least one Maricopa County supervisor thinks selling the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks may be the best move for taxpayers and the team.

Maricopa County officials are scheduled to vote Wednesday on whether to take the first step to potentially sell the less than 20-year-old stadium to Integral Group LLC. If Stadium District directors approve signing a letter of intent, it would allow Integral Group to visit the stadium, and clear the way for county officials to hire an appraiser.

Maricopa County officials need to make sure they gets a fair price, if they decide to sell Chase Field, said Jim Bruner, former chairman of the Board of Supervisors.

“It would be a big disservice to the taxpayers, and frankly those of us who fought hard to make this thing work 20 some years ago, to basically have a fire sale,” Bruner said.

Bruner supported building the facility during the 1990s, and negotiated terms of the stadium deal with then-team CEO, Jerry Colangelo. He now works in the banking industry.

“The county never really wanted to be in the stadium business anyway,” Bruner said. “But that was the only way we were going to get Major League Baseball to Phoenix.”

The Diamondbacks manage the facility and would have to agree to a sale. The club and county officials have been embroiled in a months-long public feud over who should pay for upgrades and repairs to the stadium.

Maricopa County Supervisor Clint Hickman sent letter last week to Diamondbacks President Derrick Hall saying that a private company wants to buy, improve and run Chase Field.

“We believe this transaction has the potential to benefit taxpayers by removing the need for public funding while fulfilling your desire to enhance the stadium,” the letter said.