Atlantic City will spend $300,000 from already-acquired bond money on fixes to the Sandcastle, the former home of the Atlantic City Surf, in an effort to draw concerts, youth baseball tourneys and other events to the ballpark.
As documented here, the ballpark is in a serious state of repair, with water damage stemming from cracked water pipes and some issues with the structural concrete. There’s no way $300,000 will cover all the damage, but to their credit Atlantic City officials don’t expect the money to cover all needed repairs; the money will be targeted toward repairs to the fire-sprinkler system and plumbing, as well as a reseeding of the turf.
Really, these repairs should have been done years ago, but the city insisted the Surf was responsible for payment and maintenance under the terms of their lease. (The Surf played for 10 years at the Sandcastle/Bernie Robbins Stadium under the auspices of the Atlantic League and then the Can-Am League.) That insistence helped drive the Surf from the ballpark.
RELATED STORIES: Bernie Robbins Stadium in state of disrepair; Atlantic City, Surf wrangling continues; Suitors pop up for Bernie Robbins Stadium; After loss of Surf, what will happen to Bernie Robbins Stadium?; Can-Am Association to field only six teams this season; Atlantic City Surf ceases operations
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