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Winter Park: We’re looking for new Manatees ballpark site

Brevard County ManateesA new Brevard County Manatees (High Class A; Florida State League) ballpark won’t be located at Alfond Stadium at Harper-Shepherd Field, as Winter Park officials begin looking for a new site.

On Friday the city issued a press release announcing the search for a new location. Winter Park had been working with Rollins College, which owns the Alfond Stadium at Harper-Shepherd Field site, on a new-ballpark plan. Right before a procedural vote on the last last Tuesday Rollins College asked for a two-week delay to further evaluate the financials. It didn’t take two weeks for the evaluation, and by Friday the city pulled the plug on the Alfond Stadium site.

The proposal called for tearing down Alfond Stadium at Harper-Shepherd Field, home to the Rollins College Tars as well as the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs (summer collegiate; Florida Collegiate Summer League), replaced by what was being pitched as a new $33-million project, due for a 2016 opening, as well as a parking garage. Rollins College was to contribute the land and $4.1 million. It’s the cash that was apparently the greatest concern for the college.

So, the team and the city are back on the hunt for a site. It’s not quite back to square one, as Winter Park officials had been looking at other potential locations within the city. Two were finalists along with Alfond Stadium: the Ravaudage development at Lee Road and U.S. Highway 17-92, and the Winter Park Tech site at Webster Avenue and Denning Drive.

“The city is continuing to explore other alternatives,” according to a statement issued by the city.

RELATED STORIES: Winter Park moves forward with new downtown ballpark; Winter Park close to new Manatees ballpark deal; Alfond Stadium back in Manatees ballpark mix; Winter Park moves forward with ballpark feasibility plan; New Manatees ballpark pitched for Winter Park — again; New Winter Park ballpark plan scrapped — for now; Developer pitches new Winter Park ballpark; Brevard County Manatees, Rollins College discussing new ballpark; Pro baseball an endangered species in Viera; Nats go public with desire for new spring-training facility

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