At a meeting on Monday, Madison, AL officials discussed the details behind a proposed new ballpark that could house the Mobile BayBears (Class AA; Southern League).
Madison and BallCorps, LLC–the entity that owns the BayBears–continue to discuss a new ballpark at the Town Madison development, as the team is exploring a move to the market. According to a preliminary agreement that was discussed on Monday, the ballpark would cost $46 million, with the team agreeing to a 30-year lease that features renewal options. A consultant’s report called for a facility with a capacity of 6,000, including amenities such as party decks, berm areas, and club seating.
Nothing was finalized on Monday, but the discussion of details on the consultant’s report and preliminary agreement with the team are the latest steps in the process. More from WHNT:
The agreement had its first reading and a public hearing on Monday. That is the first step in moving forward with earning the team.
Now that the ballpark is designated to cost $46 million or less, the city can get to work on determining the rest of the numbers. Mayor Paul Finley said they still need an architect’s design for a stadium that is feasible.
They also need to analyze the consultants’ data to determine how the city will pay its $46 million bond payment.
“The feasibility study gave us an understanding of how many people we can expect. Now we have to put all that together and get real world numbers to understand, can we make that happen?” said Finley.
As part of the preliminary agreement, the city and the team would share the parking revenue, with the two sides forming a committee to oversee ballpark maintenance. The BayBears have received permission to explore the market, but permission to relocate has not been granted and would have to come as part of a later process. Madison is included in the Huntsville Metropolitan Area, which has not had professional baseball team of its own since the Huntsville Stars (Class AA; Southern League) played their final full season at Joe W. Davis Stadium in 2014.
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