The Quincy Gems are looking to get some additional revenue during the offseason as a way to avoid having to raise ticket prices.

The Quincy Civic Center Authority heard Wednesday that the Gems will host a fundraiser March 31 to help with operating expenses. The “Kentucky Street Derby” will include live music, refreshments and stick pony races for those in attendance.

Rob Ebbing, executive director of the Oakley-Lindsay Center and general manager of the Quincy Gems, said the event will help with operating expenses for the team.

“Baseball in the community is a very big asset, and we want to help keep baseball in Quincy,” Ebbing said. “So we are trying to conduct some offseason fundraising that will help supplement the budget.”

The team has seen increases in such expenses as wages and travel, though the latter could drop this season with the shorter-distance road trips expected.

“We don’t want to keep raising the ticket price at the gate for the customers,” Ebbing said. “We want to try and hold that price down where it is a comfortable price, family atmosphere to come in.”

A general admission ticket last season was $5.

The Gems also were the beneficiary of a raffle during lasat weekend’s Cardinal Caravan, getting about $750.

Ebbing said before he started at the authority in 2007, the OLC staff costs for the Gems were not included in the team’s bottom line. Now $20,000 to $25,000 a year in salary is added to those figures, he said.

A profit-loss sheet distributed at Wednesday’s authority meeting showed a pre-audit Gems profit last year of $13,207. Ebbing said looking at the budget recently, it appeared the team’s profit would be about $5,000.

“If we were showing a $25,000 profit, we may not be looking at the need to do a fundraiser in the offseason,” Ebbing said. “By doing the proper accounting, you sit there and say, ‘OK, you only made $5,000 last year and you lost $10,000 the year before. You better get out there and do something.’ ”

Overall, finances for the Civic Center Authority have improved, with a $65,559 pre-audited profit. The center also has made good progress in catching up on its bills. OLC administrative assistant Carmen Marshaus said there is $39,198 in outstanding bills, which she called one of the lowest amounts in some time.

Members also heard about maintenance issues in the building. A coil in the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system on the theater side of the building broke recently, causing some flooding in the hallways of the theater.

Ebbing said the coil will need to be fixed before air conditioning is needed.

The OLC also was cited by the Quincy Fire Department for not having a hood over the stove in its kitchen. The citation came during the center’s annual fire inspection to renew its liquor license.

Ebbing said a hood installation will be incorporated into the next budget cycle, which starts in May.

The commercial stove was installed early in 2011, replacing a residential stove, which doesn’t require a hood.

— mhopf@whig.com/221-3391