The Explorers & a collegiate baseball league looking to lease Lewis & Clark Park

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) - The Sioux City Explorers are not the only ones looking to lease out Lewis & Clark Park once the current contract expires.

Two organizations sent in “Request for Proposals” for Lewis & Clark Park, the Explorers and the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The Explorers’ current 10-year lease expires on April 27, 2024, and for the first time in 30 years, the City of Sioux City took requests for proposals to see who else might be interested in the park.

In the Explorers’ RFP, they are proposing an annual lease payment of $100,000 per year for the next 12 years. In their proposal, the Explorers pointed out their commitment to the community after being in Sioux City since 1993. They said, as part of their commitment, the team regularly makes donations to local organizations in Siouxland and has invested nearly $400,000 in improving Lewis & Clark Park. The proposal says since 2016, they’ve completed upgrades to the infield, the park’s video equipment and wiring, and the field’s scoreboard.

The Northwoods League is proposing an initial lease payment of $25,000 a year, with this amount increasing by 3 percent each year for the whole 10-year lease. This would mean they’d be paying $32,619 by the tenth year. The league is also offering $500,000 in capital improvement at the park, which would be done over the 10-year lease.

The Northwoods League proposal would not only bring a collegiate wood bat baseball league, but a new Summer Collegiate Softball team would play at Hubbard Park beginning in 2024.

With the two proposals now in, a selection committee will review all of the paperwork. The committee will then give a recommendation to the Sioux City City Council within 30 days of Sept. 8, which was the cutoff date for submitting proposals.

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