Later this week, the Elizabethton City Council will consider extending the management agreement for the Elizabethton Twins (Rookie; Appalachian League).
Discussions have been unfolding about the future of the E-Twins at Joe O’Brien Field, as the city and the Minnesota Twins have been in conversations about potential upgrades to the ballpark. The renovations would consist of improvements to fan and player amenities, with a particular focus on the clubhouses and seating.
To address the immediate future of the team at Joe O’Brien Field, the city and the Twins are working to extend their management agreement. The one-year extension, which is expected to be voted on at Thursday’s city council meeting, would keep the E-Twins at Joe O’Brien Field for 2018, but the city and the Twins will still have to resolve plans for ballpark renovations. More from the Johnson City Press:
The City Council has committed to a $1.5 million upgrade to the ball park, which includes new clubhouses for the home and visiting teams, as well as improvements to stadium seating. During the council’s January meeting, Mayor Curt Alexander said it was “time for the Minnesota Twins to put a little skin in the game.” He said some of the improvements were being made at the request of the Major League team and were above the minimum standards for Minor League teams.
The one-year extension comes at the request of Jeremy Zoll, director of Minor League operations for the Minnesota Twins. Zoll said the extension to the management agreement would allow the Twins to return to Joe O’Brien Field “under the same terms and conditions set forth in the Management Agreement dated May 8, 2015.”
Zoll made it clear that the one-year agreement would be “independent of the Minnesota Twins commitment to remain in Elizabethton for the future, which is subject to the achievement of the milestone date for substantial completion of the renovations to Joe O’Brien Field in terms of the Memorandum of Understanding entered into by the parties on Sept. 4, 2017,”
City Manager Jerome Kitchens said “both the city of Elizabethton and the Minnesota Twins will continue their efforts to work towards a long-term solution to keep Minor League Baseball in Elizabethton.”
Joe O’Brien Field has been home to the Elizabethton Twins since 1974.
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