Ottawa Lynx could leave $3M debt with city officials

Ottawa city officials are worried that the sale of the Lynx triple-A baseball team may also mean they'll be stuck withdebts totalling more than $3 million.

A city spokesperson told CBC News it believes Lynx owner Ray Pecor owes Ottawa more than $3 million related to the construction of a new stadium in 1990, plus as much as $300,000 in other penalties.

The city doesn't know if it can recoup the money because the team has already lost millions of dollars, and may be unwilling to hand over millions more in debts that it disputes.

Pecor, a Burlington Vt. ferry owner,claims he has lost$1 milliona season since he bought the team in 2000 because the attendance figures were the worst inthe International League.

The sale price is unknown, but the Ottawa Sun speculated that Pecor will get $14 million for the team, twice what he paid six years ago.

"It's not even a break-even situation in Ottawa, and no one is in business to lose money," said Randy Mobley, the president of the International League who approved Tuesday the sale of the team to two businessmen from Allentown, Penn.

The Lynx are moving to a new $34-million US stadium, where it will be a farm team forMajor League Baseball'sPhiladelphia Phillies.

Lynx officials blame the city for the low attendance, saying Ottawa failed to provide adequate parking spaces for fans. But the city counters that it built Lynx Stadium at the public's expense, and it has not yet been paid for and has no other reasonable use.

Thestate-of-the-art, 10,000-seatfacilitycost $17 million Cdn to build, and is considered one of the best stadiums in the minor leagues.

It could be converted to a soccer stadium or open-air concert hall, but the city already has other entertainment facilities, includingthe Civic Centre, Scotiabank Place, Lansdowne Park and the Robert Guertin Arena in Gatineau.