It should be an exciting few days at MGM Park, as crews frantically work to prepare the new home of the Biloxi Shuckers (Class AA; Southern League) for tomorrow night’s debut.
It’s been a year of drama for the Shuckers ownership. As you can see from the links at the end of this article, the team has already experienced highs and lows in an effort to finally play a home game. From the city deciding an August opening would be OK to last year’s delays in construction, the project certainly has been newsworthy. And it’s still dramatic: crews are working to get things to the point where a temporary certificate of occupancy can be issued, and some features, like the videoboard, still require fine-tuning. From the Biloxi Sun Herald:
“Here it is — finally,” said team co-owner Tim Bennett, who has worked for more than a decade to get the stadium built and a team for Biloxi.
Crews on Thursday night were able to get the game lights set to Minor League Baseball standards, he said. Friday, they will be working on getting food into the building, hanging signs on the concourse, stringing nets between the stadium and Interstate 110 to catch fly balls and installing the batter’s eye, a solid wall on the center field wall that lets the batter see the pitches coming to the plate.
Once the checklist is complete, Biloxi can issue a temporary certificate of occupancy so the games can begin while work to complete the stadium, the parking garage and grounds continues.
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