Green Bay Bullfrogs (summer collegiate; Northwoods League) owner Jeff Royle says his proposed $20-million downtown ballpark needs public assistance, as the public sector is shying away from lending him money for the project.
What Royle is proposing is pretty cool: a riverfront ballpark — accessible by car or boat — combined with a year-round restaurant and a design that allows for events to held in the baseball offseason.
The Bullfrogs are partnering with a developer, Smet Construction Services, on the project. (The design: Pendulum Studio of Kansas City.) They’ve been unsuccessful in attracting private capital to the project, and they’re now turning to the city in the form of the Redevelopment Authority for money.
But nothing specific yet; Royle used a recent meeting of the authority to warn them the project would likely die without some level of public investment past a 20 percent contribution from another city agency. The Green Bay Packers are also reportedly looking at launching a multiuse entertainment complex near Lambeau Field, and the concern is that Green Bay isn’t large enough to support both.
No specific request was made of the city. That will be done in a future meeting.
RELATED STORIES: New Bullfrogs ballpark on hold; Bullfrogs put new-ballpark groundbreaking on hold; Green Bay approves Bullfrogs land plan; Royle: We’ve outgrown Joannes Stadium
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