Stadium Plan Ready, Just In Case

Proponents of a $325 million baseball stadium designed to keep the Seattle Mariners in town said Wednesday they hope to propose at least one more financing plan if voters reject this effort.

A measure to finance most of a new stadium by increasing the King County sales tax from 8.2 percent to a state-high 8.3 percent was leading by only 4,000 votes after Tuesday’s primary, with about 47,000 absentee ballots yet to be counted.

“We’re in a race against time,” County Executive Gary Locke said. “If the stadium fails, the owners are going to put the team up for sale, and then we’re in a race against potential buyers to save baseball in the region.”

The measure contained $100 million for construction of luxury boxes in the Kingdome and other improvements demanded by the Seattle Seahawks’ owners, who said they might pull the NFL club if the proposal were rejected. Also included was $70 million to cover last year’s repairs to the roof of the Kingdome.

The Mariners, whose lease expires next year, have been unhappy with the Kingdome and attendance. The team is expected to lose $30 million this season, bringing the total to $67 million for Hiroshi Yamauchi, the president of Nintendo, in the 3-1/2 years he has been majority owner of the Mariners.

Mariners manager Lou Piniella was optimistic the measure would pass and was already savoring a gleaming new ballpark.

“This new stadium will be a great vehicle for the major leagues to see what a baseball area this is,” he said. “It’ll be a showcase.”

Added Edgar Martinez, the American League’s leading hitter: “I feel great for Seattle when you see what other cities have and how much they enjoy their new parks.”

The proposal would raise the sales tax in King County, which includes Seattle, to provide a maximum of $240.8 million for a stadium with a retractable roof and a grass field.