It appears that cooler heads may have prevailed in the dispute between the City of St. John’s and its two professional sports teams.

A news conference called by St. John’s Mayor Danny Breen for this afternoon to provide an update on lease negotiations for the Edge and the Growlers has been abruptly cancelled.

Mayor Danny Breen would only say that negotiations are underway and there will be no further public discussion at this time. In an earlier release, Breen called on the Growlers to return to the negotiating table and it appears that they have.

The owner of the Growlers, Dean MacDonald, had called a news conference for tomorrow morning, sparking speculation as to the future of the team at Mile One, but that newser has been cancelled.

MacDonald said a few weeks ago that the City’s offer on Mile One would have resulted in a 65 per cent increase in costs to the team. Mayor Breen released figures today which show their offer cuts the rental fee by more than 50 per cent, and actually increases the subsidy from the city.

The City of St. Johns and St. John's Sports and Entertainment Ltd. have provided an update on the current offer to the Edge and the Growlers, see: https://t.co/MpZ2lWlmhj #nlpoli #sjpoli pic.twitter.com/dVl0xNA1dn

— City of St. John's (@CityofStJohns) September 16, 2019

Last year, the Edge/Growlers paid $4,500 in rent each game; this year that would be $2,000 a night.

The city’s share of corporate sponsorships would remain at $500,000 and the team would receive 30 per cent of beer and food concessions, the same as last year.

The mayor says the Growlers want 100 per cent of the concession sales. That alone would increase the subsidy by in excess of half-a-million dollars.