Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/697728
12 JUNE 29 - JULY 5, 2016 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM JEFF THOMPSON, Senior News Reporter. COMMENTS? news@upandcomingweekly. com. 910.484.6200. NEWS A Fayetteville Baseball Stadium by JEFF THOMPSON There appears to be growing inter- est in bringing minor league baseball back to Fayetteville. An informal study of stadiums conducted by Up & Coming Weekly reveals that a ballpark proposed for downtown Fayetteville, if approved, would be the Taj Mahal of Single-A stadiums on the east coast. Barrett Sports Group (BSG) has proposed a nearly $47 million facility to Fayetteville City Council. That would make a ball- park adjacent to the Prince Charles Hotel the most expensive stadium in Single A baseball by far. The existing stadium that comes the closest in cost is Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas. It was built in 2012 at a cost of $36 million, or $37.8 million in 2016 dollars, ac- cording to the U.S. Inflation Calcula- tor. The Sugar Land team plays in an unaffiliated league on the caliber of Triple-A baseball. The stadium seats 7,500. It was the result of many years of effort by the city of Sugar Land, its citizens and a public/ private partnership. No general fund dollars were spent to build the stadium. It was funded with a portion of sales tax revenues made available only for economic devel- opment purposes. Expenditures by visitors to the stadium generate sales, as do hotel occupancy taxes that benefit the city and Sugar Land residents. Similar revenue sources would not be immediately available to the City of Fayetteville and would require the cooperation of the state legislature and County of Cumberland to accomplish over time. County Commission Chair- man Marshall Faircloth has said the county has no interest in help- ing to fund the ballpark. Up & Coming Weekly re- viewed construction costs of typical Single-A minor league ballparks built on the east coast of the United States. Pensacola, Fla., Bayfront Stadium opened in 2012 with a seating capacity of 5,000. Construction cost was $18 million or $19.2 million in 2016 dollars. The stadium in Bowling Green, Ky., was built in 2008 at a cost of $28 million or $31.2 million in today's dollars. Whitaker Bank Ball Park in Lexing- ton, Ky., opened in 2001 and seats 7,000. It's a Single-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, the same team in- terested in Fayetteville. It cost $13.5 million in 2000 or $18 million today. The State Mutual Stadium in Rome, Ga., was built at a cost of $15 million in 2001 to seat 5,100. That cost today would be $18 million. While BSG Consultants have rec- ommended a $47 million stadium for Fayetteville, Mayor Nat Robertson tells Up & Coming Weekly he believes the city can build a park for about $30 million in what he calls "non- traditional, out-of-the-box financing" without a bond referendum or tax increase. He is recommending to city council's newly-appointed stadium subcommittee that it designate the $6 million economic development pledge from PWC for the stadium. He believes the city-owned Festival Park Plaza Building and Robert Wil- liams Business Center, both of which the city owns, could be liquidated for $9 million. He would like the city to request $10 million dollars from the general assembly for economic devel- opment. Finally, Robertson suggests that the city set aside $1 million a year for five years in general fund revenues for the stadium. The Houston Astros ownership has asked the city for a commitment by mid-August. 13th Annual Ryan Patrick Kishbaugh Memorial Golf Tournament at Gates Four Golf Course 6775 Irongate Dr, Fayetteville, NC 28306 Featuring New Hope Children's Home Tent You can register now online by going to: www.2016RPKMemorial.com July 23, 2016 Captains Choice Registration 0700 Shot Gun Start 0830 and Nike Mobile Pro Shop. 1400 Walter Reed Road, Suite 130 HOURS: M-Sat 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. • Sun: 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. 910•867•8700 Authentic Italian Cuisine Authentic Italian Cuisine www.LittleItalyFay.com Sample Our Menu then VOTE Best of Fayetteville! Sample Our Menu then VOTE Best of Fayetteville! Best Overall Restaurant Best Overall Restaurant Pasta and Grilled Salmon (All American Expressway & Owen Drive)