Augusta GreenJackets GM Nick Brown says Lake Olmstead Stadium is incapable of serving the team's needs in the future.
Augusta GreenJackets (Low Class A; Sally League) GM Nick Brown says Lake Olmstead Stadium is incapable of serving the team's needs in the future. In an interview with the local newspaper, Brown lays the case for a new downtown ballpark — a project that seems to go hot and cold every few months.
The money quote:
Lake Olmstead has some charm, but it is badly outdated by today and even yesterday's standards. Renovating it doesn't even work because the footprint is just too tight. There will always be people who like things the way they are, but that way of life for this ballclub can't go on much longer as it is just too challenging to operate. Lake Olmstead is not Fenway Park or Wrigley Field. It is a baseball stadium that was built in 1995 for very little money and quickly to secure the team. It was not built with vision. It was built to be adequate and even by 1995's standards that is in essence what it was. … We aren't replacing a legend; we are looking to build something iconic on the riverfront — not just a stadium but an entertainment destination. Yes, this place would be home to the GreenJackets, but this place would also be home for concerts, all types of outdoor events, from Border Bash to possibly the SEC or ACC Baseball Championships. We intend to host well over 100 events a year, and we can't do that here. But the facility is just part of that. The mixed-use development that will be attached and surrounding it will breathe even more life into downtown and be a partner in downtown development.
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