Eastern League President Joe McEachern was in Hartford today to address the current condition of Dunkin’ Donuts Park, and his message was clear: Finish the ballpark ASAP, or run the risk of losing the team permanently.
His statement, made in front of the padlocked ballpark doors to the unfinished Hartford Yard Goats home, was pretty blunt: “If the stadium is not done, we will not come to Hartford. The time is now. We have to have immediate action.”
He warned that his league and Minor League Baseball would be working on finding an alternative home for the team in 2017 — a move also mandated by Maj0r League Baseball.
Construction on Dunkin’ Donuts Park was halted months ago by the city, who locked out developers in June after several missed dates for a ballpark opening. The developers have since sued to finish the project, but the city and insurer Arch Insurance say they’re examining the situation before committing to any timetable for repairs. Yard Goats owner Josh Solomon has offered to financing the remaining work — an offer that was rejected by Mayor Luke Bronin.
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