More talk, but at least both sides say it was productive: Richmond officials and the braintrust from the Richmond Flying Squirrels (Class AA; Eastern League) had what was described by both sides as a productive discussion of a new ballpark.
The meeting, held last Friday, hashed out the issues facing the team in its pursuit of a facility to replace the deteriorating Diamond. And while no agreement was reached on location (downtown vs. the existing Diamond site), funding or timing, it looks like the beginnings of a game plan are in place. From the Richmond Times-Dispatch’s John O’Connor:
“The pros and cons of all of the sites were really discussed in great detail, the greatest detail we’ve ever discussed the pros on cons of every site, and I think a lot of things came to light,” said [Flying Squirrels chief executive manager Chuck] Domino. “That all goes into the decision-making process, and I think it was a very worthwhile conversation to have….
“Both sides left feeling that we both know what the next steps are, and we’ll both report back to each other when we have those steps done,” Domino said. He chose not to define what the “next steps” are.
According to [mayoral press secretary Tammy] Hawley, “From the city’s perspective, there are many moving parts and stakeholders. There are numerous steps to be taken, especially involving City Council, before anything tangible can move forward.”
We’ve heard rumblings before this meeting that progress was being made on the issue. The Flying Squirrels franchise was moved to Richmond with the explicit understanding that a new ballpark would be in the offing, but so far both Doug Wilder and Dwight Jones have failed to put together a deal.
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