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City Council Study Session Meeting Minutes • June 12, 2001 Page 8 1 point that, in order to keep charitable gambling, they may need to keep a business that is not 2 profitable, and does that make any sense. 3 Sports Booster and Baseball Commissioner, George Zurbey, agreed with Councilmember 4 Thuesen. He stated that some of the issues that are considered Sports Booster issues really are 5 community and tax-payer issues, and that they need to be considered as such. 6 Councilmember Horst asked why some of the things that are connected to the Sports Boosters 7 would dry up, if they were to lose the Charitable Gambling. Mr. Fabian referred to the 8 increasing popularity of sports, and the increasing demands that are placed on the volunteers. 9 Mayor Cavanaugh asked if the$60,000 is the only money that the Sports Boosters are receiving 10 over the course of a year from charitable gambling. Mr. Fabian stated that they also receive 11 money from registration fees. 12 Mr. Zurbey stated that the in-house cost per child for the baseball team in the City of St. Anthony 13 was $55.00 compared to$180.00 per child in Roseville. Thus, illustrating the benefit of the 14 funding that Sports Boosters, and in turn the community, receive from charitable gambling. •15 Mr. Zurbey stated that his purpose of being there tonight was, not to argue that the Stonehouse 16 stay open, but to show what the profits of Charitable Gambling do for various organizations 17 within the community. 18 Mr. Fabian stated that he realizes the difficult position that the Council is in with regard to the 19 Stonehouse, and that he hoped that it would continue to be a cooperative effort between the 20 Sports Boosters and the Council. 21 Mayor Cavanaugh stated that it is a difficult business decision for them, and that in two months 22 they will have better information from which to make some decisions. 23 Councilmember Hodson asked Mr. Larson if there was any information on any partners that the 24 Sports Boosters could work with. Mr. Larson stated that he has been receiving weekly e-mails 25 from the Executive Director of the Minnesota License Beverage Association and said that there 26 have not been any interested parties yet. 27 Councilmember Horst asked if there were any other franchises, such as Champps, that would 28 allow for some sort of charitable gambling. Mornson indicated that there are certain franchises 29 that permit Charitable Gambling, and that part of a negotiating package should allow room for 30 some sort of Charitable Gambling. •31 Mr. Larson stated that gross sales in 2000 for the Stonehouse were $1,875,000. 32 Mr. Zurbey stated that the community needed to determine what type of restaurant they wanted 33 to have in the City of St. Anthony.