Prince William County is helping the Potomac Nationals (High A; Carolina League) complete a repair at Pfitzner Stadium, though local officials are mum on the prospect of a new ballpark.
The county voted to kick in $114,938 to conclude work to the grandstand at Pfitzner Stadium, which is being repaired to address rust and seat stabilization. Work began on the grandstand last year, but additional funds from the county—which owns the facility–were needed to bring the project to its conclusion.
One of the questions that lingers about Pfitzner Stadium is its future, as the P-Nats’ effort for a new ballpark has had several stops and starts. Back in 2012, owner Art Silber first announced a 7,000-seat ballpark at Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center that would open in 2014. Construction has never begun on the project, as the team has worked to secure several key pieces of the funding plan. Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center has also been sold in recent years.
The latest as of March was that Silber was still working to adjust some particulars, and that the ballpark would not open until at least 2018. When asked for an update, county officials offered little information. More from Potomac Now:
Gainesville District Supervisor Peter Candland, who filled in for [Board of Supervisors chairman Corey] Stewart on Tuesday who is away at the Republican National Convention where Donald Trump will be announced the GOP nominee, asked parks director Debbie Andrew about the progress of the new stadium.
“I know there some things you can say, and there are probably can’t say,” prefaced Candland in his question to Andrew.
It was almost as if he was expecting not to get a straight answer.
Andrew replied and said she hasn’t been privy to discussions of a new ballpark, and Acting County Administrator Christopher Martino quickly quelled the line of questioning by telling Supervisors he had planned to discuss the stadium that day during a closed-door session.
As originally proposed, the ballpark project would be mostly funded through private sources. The State of Virginia was to provide money for a parking deck that would serve the ballpark and surrounding development, while also acting as a commuter parking area.
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