The Las Vegas 51s (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) recently took another step toward opening a new facility, as ground was broken for the upcoming Las Vegas Ballpark.
On Friday, officials celebrated the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Las Vegas Ballpark, which will be located in Donwntown Summerlin, a 1.8-million-square-foot retail and office complex. The ballpark is being constructed as part of an approximately $150-million project, and will represent a conclusion to the franchise’s long-running effort to replace Cashman Field with a new facility.
The current construction schedule calls for the new Las Vegas Ballpark to be completed in time for Big League Weekend (traditionally hosted at Cashman Field) next March, and effectively allow the 51s to move into the venue in time for the 2019 Pacific Coast League season. More from the Las Vegas-Review Journal:
“We’ve been really close a number of times to having stadium deals and honestly as I sat up there thinking about it, the location here is better than anything else we ever talked about,” 51s president Don Logan said.
Despite the lengthy process in getting a deal in place for the stadium, getting the stadium itself built will be on a compact timeline, with multiple people making assurances that the park would be ready come time for Big League Weekend next March.
“We’ve got 365 days to get this thing built. And I’m counting on the fact that we will open on time,” said County Commission Chair Steve Sisolak, thanking Howard Hughes Corp. CEO David Weinreb and Summerlin President Kevin Orrock. (Howard Hughes Corp. has) committed to that and in a short year, that we’ll be able to build this stadium,” “I know we have the men and women that can put the concrete and the steel in the ground and get it done.”
Plans were announced last fall for the new Las Vegas Ballpark. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority’s (LVCA) has already approved a 20-year, $80-million naming rights agreement for the ballpark. As part of that deal, the LVCA will have the right to stage as many as 100 events annually at the facility.
The new Las Vegas Ballpark will be located next to City National Arena, the training facility used by the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights.
Rendering courtesy HOK.
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