The City of Butler Parks Recreation Grounds and Facilities Authority may soon be out of the baseball ownership business.

During its meeting Wednesday, the authority announced the apparent sale of its 40 percent ownership of the Butler BlueSox to the Nonprofit Development Corporation of Butler for $40,000.

In a separate year-by-year agreement, the corporation also would manage the day-to-day operations of Pullman Park, which will officially become Kelly Automotive Park in January.

The BlueSox team is a Prospect League member for college baseball players.

However, Butler attorney William “Wink” Robinson, one of the co-owners of the baseball franchise’s other 60 percent, said this morning no official sale of stock has taken place.

“There is no sale. No money has changed hands. No documents have been signed,” Robinson said.

He added that he and fellow owners Ray Conlon, Dr. Mike Fiorina, Gordon Marburger and Matt Clement are entitled to the first option to buy the authority’s 40 percent if it is available for sale.

“That was a joinder agreement we all entered into in 2009,” Robinson said. “That’s a signed contract.

“The Prospect League must approve the transfer of any stock of a franchise in excess of five percent. That’s all in writing, too.”

Mike Robb, executive director of the Nonprofit Development Corporation, said his company “always welcomes the opportunity to collaborate on nonprofit endeavors, and we look forward to working with the other 60 percent ownership of the team.

“We feel like this transaction will help keep this team intact in the community for years to come.”

Robinson plans to contact Robb today to request a meeting of parties involved.

“We understand they (parks authority) need to sell their shares, and we don’t want to stand in the way of that,” Robinson said. “The whole idea is to make it (BlueSox) a viable operation.

“We want a happy ending.”

The NDC is a sister organization to the Center for Community Resources and the Alliance for Nonprofit Resources, which already was providing fiscal services to the authority while it was a co-owner.

NDC specializes in property management.

The park authority would continue to own the park, but the corporation would be responsible for the daily maintenance of it, including the concession stand.

“Our goal is to keep the current operations intact,” Robb said. “We will continue all the contracts the authority already has.”

More than 200 games, including 32 BlueSox home games, were played at Pullman Park this season.

Should the sale go through, Robb said the head of maintenance at the ballpark will be determined in the next three to six weeks. NDC will determine if additional people need to be hired.

Robb said the park would be rented for other events.

Ed Codi, authority board chairman, indicated the authority’s possible sale of its portion of the BlueSox is another step toward resolving the authority’s financial woes.

The authority’s latest financial report indicated a loss of $15,000 for November, with a total of $39,207 since January.

The corporation still would need approval from the authority should the sale become official — including any future stadium leases involving the BlueSox — and the authority still answers to the city’s Redevelopment Authority.