Brewers, city, reach agreement to pay off debt

Thursday, March 1st 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

HELENA (AP) _ The former Helena Brewers baseball team, which relocated to Provo, Utah last year, will be allowed to pay off its remaining debt to the city interest free over the next 13 years.

The city and the Pioneer League team reached a deal under which the team will repay the city about $242,000 still owed for the remaining 13 years of its 16-year lease of Kindrick Legion Field. The annual payment will total just over $18,000.

Under its original lease agreement with the city, the Brewers turned over 7.5 percent of the team's gross revenues each season as payment, a sum that amounted to $12,000 to $20,000 each year, depending on the success of the team.

The Brewers announced in December they were relocating to Provo.

The team, renamed the Provo Angels in January, will play their first game June 16 at the Mormon church-owned Brigham Young University's new $7 million baseball-softball complex.

Helena City Attorney David Nielsen said the new agreement shouldn't affect Helena's efforts to recruit another team. In the past, American Legion baseball was able to share the facilities with the Brewers because the Brewers did not have an exclusive lease on their use.