There continues to be no love lost between the city of New Britain and the former New Britain Rock Cats. The mayor has made public her demand for $149,317 in outstanding utility bills stemming from the team’s lease at New Britain Stadium, but the team is wondering what the mayor’s rush is.
The Rock Cats left New Britain to move to Hartford for a new stadium and a new name. They are now known as the Hartford Yard Goats and are having their problems at Dunkin’ Donuts stadium. The team recently put up $2 million to help the stadium construction be finished so it could begin playing home games by May 31.
“They are not off the hook for these overdue bills,” said New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart in a statement. “Under the lease agreement between New Britain and the Rock Cats, the team is responsible for paying the electric and utilities that they used while tenants at New Britain Stadium.”
Yard Goats General Manager Tim Restall said the team has only had the bill since Monday. “Per our lease, the team has 120 days of receipt of said documentation to pay the bill. The Yard Goats have every intention of paying our bills as we always have,” he said in a statement.
The city’s lease agreement with the team ended on Dec. 31, 2015. Under the terms of the agreement, the mayor’s office said in a statement, the city has paid the utility companies, but payment is now owed to the city for reimbursement. This is not the first time the city has had to pursue outstanding payments from the team. In Aug. 2014, the city put the ownership on notice for failing to pay $164,569 in property taxes owed to the town of Berlin. The owners have since paid those taxes.
