Pullman Park will continue to be the home of the Butler BlueSox — probably.

The Prospect League collegiate baseball team's three-year lease with the Pullman stadium authority expired after the 2011 season, and no agreement has been reached yet for 2012.

A meeting between representatives of the BlueSox ownership and the stadium authority took place Thursday morning with no deal being consummated.

“But significant progress was made,” BlueSox co-owner William “Wink” Robinson said. “I won't get into specifics, but we broke the ice.”

Robinson is one of five individuals, along with previous majority owner Leo Tritch, comprising 60 percent of the BlueSox' ownership. The stadium authority holds the other 40 percent.

“We didn't envision having any trouble with this at all,” Robinson said of acquiring a new lease. “We contacted the authority during the last week of August with our offer.

“It took a while before we heard back. When we did ... We were floored by their offer. That's putting it mildly.”

Last year's lease required the BlueSox to pay $5,400 in rent for the 27-game home season and gave the team 40 percent of the concession revenues.

The stadium authority owns 40 percent of the team and ran the souvenir shop at the ballpark last season. The BlueSox paid the stadium authority 10 percent of gross sales on souvenirs and $15 a game to a ballpark employee to work the cash register in the shop.

Robinson said the stadium authority wants $8,400 a year in rent for a new three-year lease. The BlueSox only want a one-year lease with an option year to follow.

“That's a 56 percent increase in rent, something we weren't expecting,” Robinson said.

The BlueSox are asking for 50 percent of the concession revenues and total control of the souvenir shop. The team also requests an ice machine for the facility.

Ballpark manager Dess Schnur described himself as being “in the middle,” having interest in seeing a resolution that suits both parties.

“These are all community-minded people,” Schnur said. “They just have to sit down and resolve it. There has to be a compromise somewhere.”

Robinson said “the major issues were addressed” during Thursday's meeting.

“We're back on track now,” he said. “I'm much more optimistic this will get done now than I was (Wednesday night).”

Ed Codi, chairman of the stadium authority, said a number of items are up for negotiation right now.

“Believe me, we want the BlueSox to play at Pullman Park,” Codi said. “But we, as a board, have a financial responsibility to the city of Butler to come up with a viable, equitable contract for both sides.

“These are serious negotiations going on and we have to work out a contract that satisfies the board, the city, the banks ... There are plenty of entities here.”

Regardless of the circumstances surrounding an eventual agreement, Robinson said the BlueSox will not raise ticket prices.

“We're not going to put our fans in the middle of this,” he said.

But are the BlueSox considering calling another ballpark home in 2012?

“We're not even entertaining that notion right now,” Robinson said. “There are other fields locally, but nothing close to what Pullman Park gives us.”