Biloxi (Miss.) officials will be marketing field-naming rights to the new Class AA Southern League ballpark that will host the relocating Huntsville Stars in 2015 and beyond.
City attorney Michael Collins told the Biloxi Council on Tuesday the administration is drafting a request for proposals so interested parties can bid on the naming rights. The money will help pay the $21 million bond to build the stadium, he said.
David Nichols, director of administration, said there already is a market for naming the field. “We have been contacted,” he said.
Now, to be clear, these are field naming rights for sale. MGM Resorts International received ballpark naming rights as part of its land donation for the facility site, and you can bet that you’ll see a moniker of Beau Rivage Ballpark or Beau Rivage Resort Park (or something similar) down the line. So you could end up with a name like Big Corp Medical Center Field at Beau Rivage Ballpark. A mouthful, to be sure.
Work on the ballpark design continues: the plan is being trimmed down from a $38-million cost estimate to a $36-million final; budget, so some value engineering is taking place.
The new ballpark is expected to open for the 2015 season. The $36-million financing plan for the 6,000-seat ballpark is pretty simple: the city will use $15 million from a state grant stemming from BP monies, and the remaining $21 million will be bonded by Biloxi, paid back by a $2 ticket surcharge. The budget also calls for a 350-space parking garage, which will be leased back to the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino.
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