On Wednesday evening, the Atlantic City Council will consider a resolution that allows Frank Boulton to seek an independent-baseball pro tenant for Surf Stadium.
Under the terms of the resolution, Boulton would work on behalf of the city to find a new team for the ballpark. That arrangement would last for 90 days, and potentially result in Atlantic City securing a new professional tenant for a facility that originally opened as The Sandcastle in 1998, presumably an independent Atlantic League or Can-Am League team.
Council president Marty Small Sr. is already voicing his support for the idea of having Boulton work on the city’s behalf. Time will tell whether another team can be secured for the ballpark, but Boulton is indicating that an independent league club could be an option. More from Press of Atlantic City:
“This has absolutely no downside,” Small said. “If Mr. Boulton delivers in 90 days and all the terms are ready to go, we’ll have baseball next spring.”
Small said new owners would likely have to invest in upgrades and repairs that would improve the asset. Besides baseball, Small said, the 5,500-seat stadium with the city skyline in the background is a great setting for concerts, tournaments and festivals.
“There’s work to be done, there’s no question about it,” Boulton said. “But that won’t be done in the next 90 days. What will be done in the next 90 days is getting the commitments to do all the work and put all the pieces of the puzzle in place.”
An ownership group willing to put an Atlantic City team in either the Atlantic League or the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball is what Boulton said most interested him. Boulton said there would be no cost to Atlantic City during the 90-day period based on a memorandum of understanding he submitted to the council.
Surf Stadium originally opened to host the Atlantic City Surf, then a member of the independent Atlantic League. After the Surf’s last season in 2008, the ballpark’s condition fell on hard times, but it was eventually put back into working order to host tournaments.
Boulton is a former owner of the Surf, and is currently involved in the ownership of the Long Island Ducks (Atlantic League).
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