Wilmington (N.C.) and Mandalay Baseball Properties are still discussing a lease for a new ballpark, even as the city is preparing to put a proposal before voters in a fall referendum. There are many issues outstanding in the lease negotiations, which should last through next week, if not longer: the coat of the ballpark, how […]
Tag Archives | national sports services
New Wilmington ballpark: uncertainty reigns
Wilmington (N.C.) officials are debating whether to ask voters to approve funding for a new ballpark, as there are plenty of specifics — price, location, lease — still to be determined. To be placed on the fall ballot, a referendum question need to be completed by August 1, so there’s some time to settle these […]
NSS: New Wilmington ballpark would generate $172 million in new spending
A new Wilmington (N.C.) ballpark would create $172 million in direct spending and generate 3,952 new full- and part-time jobs, but opponents will find it to be less than persuasive when it comes to funding options. The report from National Sports Services, released today in draft version, has been long awaited by proposed of a […]
Wilmington ballpark sites down to three; poll indicates support
National Sports Services has narrowed down the potential number of ballpark sites in Wilmington (N.C.) to three, while a poll indicated support for public funding of the facility. The poll of 970 residents found 47 percent of respondents in favor of public funding of a new ballpark for an Atlanta Braves farm team, the relocating […]
Mayor slams Wilmington ballpark financing proposal
Wilmington (N.C.) Mayor Bill Saffo has come out against the current financing proposal for a new ballpark, saying the proponents don’t have enough “skin in the game.” In an interview with a local conservative talk-radio host, Saffo blasted the plan: “Pardon the pun here; we’re putting all of our skin into the game and they […]
Preferred site emerging for Wilmington ballpark?
A prominent Wilmington (N.C.) family may offer a large parcel of land off Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway as the site of a new ballpark for an Atlanta Braves-owned Carolina League team. We reported on Monday this site was emerging as the leading location for the $35-million ballpark, which would be built by private developers and […]
Wilmington ballpark financing plan unveiled
A private developer would borrow money to build a new ballpark for a High Class A Carolina League team, with Wilmington (N.C.) and Mandalay Baseball Properties paying down the debt over time. The ballpark, which would be home to an Atlanta Braves farm team in the form of the relocating Lynchburg Hillcats, is projected to […]
Mandalay, Braves to update Wilmington on ballpark
We’ll know more about a proposed Wilmington (N.C.) ballpark when Mandalay Baseball Properties and the Atlanta Braves update city officials on funding and site plans. Progress on the new ballpark has been fairly swift, with National Sports Services commissioned to scout out potential ballpark sites and identify possible revenue streams. Mandalay officials say they can […]
Five potential ballpark sites under discussion in Wilmington
Five potential ballpark sites in Wilmington (N.C.) for an Atlanta Braves farm team will be presented to the public at meetings tonight and tomorrow night. The five sites include what many in the city consider to be the leader: a riverfront site near PPD, a site mentioned as the frontrunner since talk of a new […]
The race is on: NSS given marching orders in Wilmington
Wilmington (N.C.) officials today gave instructions to National Sports Services about what they expect in terms of a new-ballpark consulting report due in June. National Sports Services (NSS) will be representing the city on construction and funding of a new ballpark for the relocating Lynchburg Hillcats (High Class A; Carolina League), which will be owned […]
Wilmington bypasses Ripken Design as ballpark manager; NSS is hired
Avoiding a potential conflict between Ripken Design and Mandalay Baseball Properties, the Wilmington (N.C.) City Council went with a second choice as ballpark project manager. Initially city officials had chosen Ripken Design, part of Ripken Baseball, as the city’s project manager on a proposed waterfront ballpark in downtown Wilmington to be managed by Mandalay and inhabited […]
Ripken Design chosen to oversee Wilmington ballpark planning; controversy ensues
Ripken Design has been chosen as project manager for a new Wilmington (N.C.) ballpark, but some councilmembers — as well as Mandalay Baseball Properties and the Atlanta Braves — object. Ripken Design was chosen from a list of 10 possible project managers, with the news posted Friday on the city Website. (Reporedly the runner-up: National Sports […]