With Hunt Construction hired today to build a new Cleburne (TX) ballpark, it’s possible we could see a home for the Cleburne Railroaders open in time for the 2017 season.
So far the focus has been on the funding plan for the ballpark, which would be part of a larger $100-million development. Voters approved a half-cent sales-tax hike last November to back $25 million in bonds for the new ballpark. The city has already spent $10 million on 74.4 acres of land for the development, and private interests are planning Cleburne Station, an adjacent dining and retail complex. Hunt will be working with a budget of $20.7 million, with plans expected this summer.
The new ballpark even has a name: The Depot. Besides hosting pro baseball — the independent American Association has been discussed in conjunction with the Railroaders — The Depot is also planned as a community event center, including soccer matches.
The development would be at the southeast corner of U.S. 67 and Chisholm Trail Parkway, serving as a gateway to Cleburne.
It would mark the return of pro baseball to Cleburne, but there are probably not too many who remember those times: the last pro team played in 1922. (Edited to correct this end date)