Deal with Growlers coming 'hopefully soon,' says St. John's mayor

All sides are at the table when it comes to trying to hammer out a lease agreement for the upcoming season between St. John's Sports and Entertainment, the Newfoundland Growlers and the St. John's Edge.

That's according to St. John's Mayor Danny Breen.

"We're still continuing negotiations, we're talking regularly and we're working towards a deal hopefully soon," said Breen on Wednesday morning.

So, exactly when might the dotted line be signed?

"No idea. We'll stay with it and we're still in discussions," Breen responded.

The tension seemed to dissolve slightly when Breen cancelled a media availability Monday afternoon just an hour before it was scheduled to start.

Within minutes of that, Growlers owner Dean MacDonald cancelled his news conference slated for Tuesday. There had been speculation MacDonald would threaten to leave Newfoundland and Labrador after this season.

Before both sides went relatively radio silent, there had been press releases issued by the city and the Growlers, with subtle jabs in both.

'Must pay your own way'

Sandy Hickman, St. John's city councillor and chairof St. John's Sports and Entertainment, said earlier in the week, that when it comes to the owners of both sports franchises bidding for a lease agreement at Mile One Centre "you must pay your way."

Hickman said the city has offered the Growlers and the St. John's Edge a lease very similar to the ones they signed last season, with a few "nuances."

One of those nuances would be paying more toward the operating costs of the building, though Hickman wouldn't get into details on what exactly the city is asking for.

"We really want these teams here, but we just want them to pay a fair amount of money to even help us cover our costs. We're not trying to rip them off," Hickman said at the time.

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