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Group pitches new downtown Hamilton ballpark

Proposed Hamilton Joes ballpark

A new ballpark costing up to $10 million for the Hamilton Joes (summer collegiate; Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League) has been proposed by city leaders.

The tentative proposal has the ballpark, which would be financed via a nonprofit, constructed on the former Champion Paper plant in the city’s downtown. A scrap-metal firm has bought the plant and will clear everything but the riverfront office buildings, leaving plenty of room for development.

And that development could include a new Joes ballpark, according to a community group involved in the planning process:

One idea in the works is a stadium for the Hamilton Joes summer collegiate league, as well as an indoor sports facility. The proposal calls for the construction of a stadium with around 2,500 to 3,000 permanent seats. It would cost between $7.5 million and $10 million, and take about 30 months to complete, according to Mike Dingledein, co-founder of Community Design Alliance, a community-based architectural firm in Hamilton.

Local tax dollars would not be used to build the ballpark; instead, a community-based nonprofit would raise the funds, build the ballpark and administer it. The Joes (named after Cincinnati Reds legend Joe Nuxhall) would be a tenant, and other events could be scheduled there.

One thing we must note: what’s pictured in the renderings looks to be more than a $7-$10 million facility, especially if there’s any soil remediation needed. (Let’s chalk up the enthusiastic rendering more as wishful thinking than a realistic game plan.) We’ll see as the discussion develops exactly what is being pitched.

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