It looks like a new Fredericksburg ballpark for the Hagerstown Suns (Low Class A; Sally League) will be delayed until 2016, as the owners still need to close on financing and land acquisition.
Suns ownership signed a two-year lease extension for Municipal Stadium in Hagerstown, giving the team a cushion as it works to close on financing for the $29-million Fredericksburg project. MiLB requires teams on the move to have a fallback lease should problems like these arise, so there was no doubt the team would commit to a 2015 lease. The decision to add a year indicates the owners think a 2016 opening is more realistic. From the Free-Lance Star:
The owners are partnering with New Jersey-based Diamond Nation to build a complex that would also host amateur baseball and softball camps and tournaments. Activities for other sports are also being considered.
The complex will be primarily privately financed but supported by an array of tax incentives from the city of Fredericksburg, which will build an adjoining parking lot.
The Suns originally hoped to have a stadium built in time for the 2015 season, but that looks increasingly unlikely as principals of the Silver Cos., Diamond Nation and the Suns are currently working to get the construction budget to an affordable level.
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