Harlingen baseball team, city hall still fighting over bill

HARLINGEN — The city's professional baseball team has been locked off the field for the past two weeks over what the city says is $100,000 due in rent and utilities.  

Officials at the United League Baseball organization disagreed and wants to have the electric and water bills checked into for Harlingen Field.  

Gary Wendt, one of the owners of the WhiteWings, said Tuesday that he would like the charges to be reviewed because some are "illogical."

"We have $20,000 that we are ready and willing to pay," Wendt said. "But we feel (the city) needs to do further investigating to get the right amount (of charges)."

"Basically, the bills for January, February and March are in the $4,000 range for power," Wendt said. "That's just illogical when all you are powering is a 1,000-square foot building."

Wendt also said he sent Assistant City Manager Gabriel Gonzalez an e-mail message explaining the WhiteWings's position on the charges but said he has not received a reply.

In the letter, Wendt asks for further research of a water bill invoice for "several hundred dollars" and an electric meter about which the White Wings management was unaware.

The city changed the locks at Harlingen Field about two weeks ago, preventing the WhiteWings from using the field, Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez met with the owners last week to discuss the charges but nothing has been resolved, he said.

"Everything is as it was before," Gonzalez said Tuesday. "They are still locked out and have no access to the field. They are disputing their electric bill and said they would talk with AEP about them."

Gonzalez said the WhiteWings pay $1,000 per month to rent Harlingen field, plus utilities and field maintenance.

Gonzalez also said previously that lockout occurred because the WhiteWings' contract for Harlingen Field expired on Sept. 30.

Renewing the WhiteWings' contract for use of Harlingen Field has not been discussed, Gonzalez said, and will not be discussed until the charges owed to the city are paid.

The dispute is reminiscent of the dispute between the city of Edinburg and the Roadrunners baseball team, part of the now-defunct Central Baseball League.

The city terminated the team's lease in 2005, citing $36,000 in back rent for Edinburg's stadium.

The Roadrunners' departure opened the door to the city bringing in the ULB-affiliated Coyotes.

Daisy Martinez is a reporter for the Valley Morning Star.