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Hayden — Triple Crown is likely to come to Hayden - with conditions.

The Hayden Town Board of Trustees voted Thursday to approve a deal with Steamboat Springs, allowing the baseball and softball tournaments to use town fields this year and next. In exchange, Steamboat would pay to finish the two Dry Creek Park ball fields. Trustee Jim Haskins said he was nervous about what Steamboat expects beyond 2010.

Triple Crown Sports President Dave King has said the company wants to sign a 10-year contract in 2011. Although Hayden's contract would end after the 2010 season, Haskins said he suspected that Steamboat would want to use the fields after that.

"I think there's a lot of possibility for it," Haskins said about the memorandum of understanding. "I'm going to keep drilling this. I just hope everything's getting vetted through the board and there's nothing implied. : My dealings over there with Steamboat have not been good with issues like this. They take a lot of things for granted."

Hayden Parks and Recreation Director Kathy Hockett emphasized that the contract was for two years.

"Expectations and actual documents are two different things," Hockett said.

The memorandum of understanding will go to Steamboat Springs City Council for approval, she said. Hayden wants these terms:

- Deal would run from June 15, 2009, to Aug. 31, 2010.

- Steamboat would pay $81,500 this year and $45,000 next year.

- Field use would be June 15 through Aug. 31. Triple Crown could use the fields from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday in June and from 9 a.m. to dusk Monday through Saturday in July and August.

- Hayden Daze weekend would be exempt, and Triple Crown couldn't use the Routt County Fairgrounds parking during the Routt County Fair.

The board addressed several other issues at Thursday's meeting, including annexation, a new trustee, a liquor license request and the Hayden Speedway lease.

Trustees approved the annexation of about 185 acres north of Yampa Valley Regional Airport. The land will become Hayden Regional Commerce Park. The town approved open, light industrial and auto-oriented commercial zoning for the land.

"They followed the reality of our comprehensive plan up there," Town Manager Russ Martin said, referring to developers Stefanus and Louis Nijsten and Bob Zibell. "I've been in planning and development for a while, and I don't remember ever having a developer say, 'What do you want my zoning to be?' and pretty much, that's what they said from the beginning, so it's hard to argue."

Trustees appointed Tim Redmond to Trace Musgrave's spot on the board.

They decided to wait on a liquor license for Trini Riley, owner of Hot Dog'n Paradise at YVRA. Riley did not attend Thursday's meeting. Airport Manager Dave Ruppel spoke in favor of the license. Riley also runs HDN Paradise Bar & Grill, which is outside of security.

"This is something that we've been encouraging Trini to install since she got the contract there for the restaurant and bar," Ruppel said. "This is something that we get a lot of passenger questions about. Normal passenger behavior is, once they get through security, they don't go back out."

The board plans to continue that discussion at its March 5 meeting. It also is likely to address the Hayden Speedway lease at that meeting.

Gregg Kolbaba, of Craig, wants to take over the lease from the Western Colorado Racing Association. Floyd Gutierrez, also of Craig, spoke on behalf of the racing group. His organization has run the track for nearly 33 years, he said. Both parties had proposals to improve the speedway.

Trustee Tom Rogalski, the board's liaison for the speedway, said he wanted to set performance goals for whoever runs the track. He and Martin plan to talk with both groups before the March meeting.

"That would help us in determining what this lease might look like and help us in determining which way we want to go here," Rogalski said.