Bombers owners ask city to reconsider lease rate hike

The ownership of the Dubois County Bombers is asking the Huntingburg Park Board to reconsider the lease rate increase proposed for the 2026 season.

Owner Justin Knepp addressed the board at its regular meeting on Monday about the proposed 80 percent increase in the lease.

“We really appreciate and value our partnership with the city and the parks department,” Knepp told the board. “That said, when we received the lease renewal, there was definitely a lot of sticker shock with an 80% increase for this coming year.”

The current lease stands at $10,000 annually.

Knepp said he contacted other team owners in the Prospect League to compare lease structures and found that most work with cities to secure stadium leases.

“With the lease increase that we’re talking about, it would make League Stadium, the Dubois County Bombers, the highest price lease in our entire league, and we are the smallest market in the league by far,” he explained.

The team presented research showing lease agreements from three other teams in their league, including Lafayette, which pays approximately $100,000 annually but has year-round access to their facility. The Bombers use League Stadium for about nine to 10 weeks during their season.

Knepp emphasized that the team has consistently reinvested in the stadium, distinguishing its arrangement from typical rental agreements. The organization has spent thousands of dollars on improvements, including the added upper-deck area, upkeep such as repainting, and $8,000 on the third-base drink rail.

“We’ve always been a team and an organization that gives back not just to the community, but into the stadium,” Knepp said. “We’ve never been a team or an organization that just wants to take and not give back.”

Park board member Shannon Fuhs provided historical context on the stadium’s transformation under local ownership. She contrasted the current situation with the late 1990s, when the team was owned by someone from outside the area.

“There was nobody at those games. There was nothing being put in the stadium. It was kind of just falling apart,” Fuhs said. “Ever since then, I think every single year since then, they have added something to the stadium as an upgrade.”

Fuhs argued that the Bombers’ arrangement differs significantly from other city contracts because of the team’s commitment to permanent improvements and community engagement.

“This really needs to be thought of as a whole different type of situation because it always has been and it really always should be a partnership between us and the Bombers,” she said.

The team presented two alternative proposals to the board. Option one involves increasing rent by $1,000 each year over five years while maintaining the current 5% gift shop revenue share, though Knepp requested it be calculated on net rather than gross sales.

Option two proposes a $2,500 increase for the first year, followed by $1,000 increases annually for four years, while completely removing the gift shop revenue share requirement. Knepp noted he could not locate the gift shop provision in previous contracts, but the team has continued paying it.

“We’re not asking for anything for free. We’re not even asking for the lease to stay the same if you think the lease is undervalued,” he said. “We just want you to gradually stair step it up, which is what is much more common.”

Knepp cited average commercial lease escalation rates of 3% to 4% annually, suggesting that even a 5% increase over four years would result in a 20% total increase, which he described as “high, but that we would look at a lot more reasonably.”

The financial pressure concerns extend beyond just the lease payment. Knepp warned that the significant increase would force difficult decisions, including potentially raising ticket prices, which the team has kept low.

“With such a significant increase, the lease, when all of our other costs are going up, it’s going to make it hard for us to continue to want or be able to reinvest back into the stadium in a lot of the ways that we do,” he said.

Weather-related cancellations add another layer of financial uncertainty. The team experienced four and a half rainouts last season, with two complete weekend game cancellations that former owner Mike Uebelhor described as “devastating” to the organization’s annual budget.

“If we have a rain out on the weekend, on a large weekend, that’s the difference between making a profit for the year and not just meeting expenses,” Uebelhor explained.

The team also revealed plans for two major specialty events during the upcoming season, including the Big League Baseball Classic and a Cardinals-themed game featuring Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, both scheduled within their lease term.

Board members indicated they need additional time to review the proposals. One member noted that all lease agreements are being evaluated due to changing state funding and rising costs across all city operations.

The board plans to continue discussions at its next meeting after reviewing the detailed proposals Knepp offered to provide via email.