A group is exploring a potential new Jefferson City, MO ballpark, with the intention of landing an independent Frontier League team.
Jay Carroll is the head of a group that is pitching a new ballpark in Jefferson City. The concept calls for the ballpark to be the home of an expansion Frontier League squad–currently dubbed The Wanted–and be designed to host other events. The range of non-baseball offerings could include other sports such as football and soccer, along with non-sporting events such as concerts. Additionally, it is envisioned that the ballpark could be part of a larger development concept if it is built.
There is still plenty of work to be done to make the proposed ballpark and team a reality, so both Carroll and the Frontier League are emphasizing that the plans are far from finalized and that it would take years for it to become a reality. For Carroll and his group, one of the main objectives in the present is finding a site that could be used for a new ballpark project. More from the Jefferson City News Tribune:
For the past three years, Carroll has visited minor league stadiums across the Midwest trying to figure out what works well and what doesn’t. Now, he said his group is looking for sites around Jefferson City for a potential stadium.
Carroll declined to name sites under consideration, but said any site needs to allow traffic to enter and exit reasonably quickly. Other concerns, like whether light and noise pollution will leak into surrounding areas, also will be taken into consideration, he said.
The Wanted’s group hired Jefferson City design firm The Architects Alliance and Indiana firm Jones Petrie Rafinski to design the facility, which designed stadiums for the Class A South Bend Cubs and Class A Lansing Lugnuts. Cary Gampher, The Architects Alliance principal architect, worked on the Class AAA Oklahoma City Dodgers’ Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in the mid-1990s.
Before major design work begins, a site will need to be chosen, Gampher said.
The Frontier League last had a team in Mid-Missouri in the mid-2000’s, when the Mid-Missouri Mavericks played the 2003-2005 seasons at the University of Missouri’s Taylor Stadium in Columbia. There are 12 teams competing in the Frontier League’s 2018 season, with the O’Fallon-based River City Rascals being the lone club in Missouri. O’Fallon is located on the eastern side of the state, and is part of the Greater St. Louis area.