The process to replace Loeb Stadium is moving forward, as the City of Lafayette is working with designers to develop a final concept.
The Indiana city is looking to demolish Loeb Stadium–which opened in 1940–and build a new ballpark that would house the Lafayette Aviators (summer collegiate; Prospect League), as well as the Colt World Series and Lafayette Jefferson High School baseball. Details for the design were discussed on Tuesday, with some of the focus geared toward the new ballpark’s footprint.
Rather than use the same layout as Loeb Stadium, the new ballpark could essentially be reversed by having home plate placed in Loeb Stadium’s centerfield. That facility faces due south, and concerns have been raised in the past about how the sun affects the action on the field.
No final decisions were made after a public meeting on Tuesday, but Lafayette major Tony Roswarski and senior project architect Dan McCloskey have set a timeline for the final design. More from the Lafayette Courier & Journal:
McCloskey’s group will take the ideas and discussions from the two meetings and start “to put pen to paper” and develop concepts for the new stadium.
“We’ll come up with a conceptual image of what the stadium could look like from a materials and style standpoint and present that to the community and get their input,” McCloskey said.
Roswarski expects to start seeing those concepts by the end of the year or early 2017.
“We’ll show the community and see what the reaction is,” he said.
• Roswarski plans to announce the construction management firm or general contractor in the next month.
Previous discussions have concerned the new ballpark’s timeline, as the city has looked for ways to demolish Loeb Stadium with minimal disruption to the high school, the Aviators, and the Colt World Series. The demolition date for Loeb Stadium has not been finalized, but the city wants the new ballpark in place by the 2019 high school baseball season.
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