Despite the total of city borrowing for a new Columbia (S.C.) ballpark going up by $2 million, the City Council is expected to approve a $31 million borrowing plan tonight. The original price of the ballpark and associated work was $29 million, but that figure was bumped with the addition of a mile-long pedestrian pathway […]
Tag Archives | columbia
Columbia mayor: We have votes to fund new ballpark
Columbia (S.C.) Mayor Steve Benjamin says the votes are there to pass a new-ballpark funding plan, with final approval expected at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Veteran MiLB owner and operator Jason Freier has been working with Columbia on the ballpark plan, which calls for $29 million in bonding from the city and a new ballpark […]
New Columbia ballpark receives initial city approval
A new Columbia (S.C.) ballpark won initial approval from the City Council on first reading on a 4-3 margin, with a final vote scheduled for March 18. That the vote was close was not a surpise; opposition to the project had been gaining some momentum in recent day. The financing plan: Hardball Capital, led by […]
Columbia ballpark proposal up for vote today
A proposal for a new Columbia (S.C.) ballpark for a team owned by Hardball Capital’s Jason Freier is up for a vote today by the City Council, as the veteran MiLB operator ups his financial commitment to the project. What’s new: Hardball Capital would pay the city up to $516,000 annually if the proposed Bull […]
Freier: We’re still pursuing new Savannah ballpark
Despite all the talk recently about Jason Freier’s pursuit of a new Columbia (S.C.) ballpark, he’s still working on a plan for a new Savannah Sand Gnats (Low Class A; Sally League) facility. The assumption by many — including Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin — is that the Sand Gnats would be ending up in South […]
Columbia moves forward — cautiously — with ballpark planning
The Columbia (S.C) City Council will hire a consultant to perform a cost/benefit analysis on a new ballpark pitched by MILB owner Jason Freier, as the city slows down on a proposed Bull Street facility. Freier has been working with a local developer, who has offered free land as part of a larger Bull Street […]
Freier: I may acquire new team for Columbia
We hinted at this, but now veteran MiLB operator Jason Freier has made it explicit: acquiring another team is very likely if a new Columbia ballpark is built, rather than moving the Savannah Sand Gnats (Low Class A; Sally League) to the city. Besides negotiating for a new Columbia ballpark, Freier has also been talking […]
Freier: We could open new Columbia ballpark in 2015
An aggressive construction schedule and quick city approval of a financing plan could lead to an April 2015 opening of a new Columbia (S.C.) ballpark, according to veteran MiLB operator Jason Freier. Freier, who owns the Fort Wayne TinCaps (Low Class A; Midwest League) and the Savannah Sand Gnats (Low Class A; Sally League) and […]
Freier to attend Columbia ballpark discussion
Veteran minor-league owner Jason Freier will be on hand tonight for a Columbia (S.C.) City Council discussion about a proposed ballpark development. Freier, whose Hardball Capital owns the Fort Wayne TinCaps (Low Class A; Midwest League) and the Savannah Sand Gnats (Low Class A; Sally League) and was instrumental in the Parkview Field development that […]
New ballpark feasible for Columbia: study
Columbia (S.C.) is the second-largest U.S. market without pro sports and could support a return of Minor League Baseball, but questions remain about a funding source for a proposed $41.8-million ballpark. A report prepared by Brailsford & Dunlavey indicates the market is robust enough to support minor-league baseball, despite some potential competition with the USC […]
Sand Gnats exploring Columbia move?
Columbia (S.C.) Mayor Steve Benjamin wasn’t too subtle in describing a potential baseball partner for his city, leaving little doubt he was talking with Savannah Sand Gnats (Low Class A; Sally League) ownership about a new facility. In a newspaper interview, Benjamin talked about the existing owner also owning a new team in the Midwest […]
Mayor: I’ll bring MiLB back to Columbia
Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin says he plans to begin discussions with Minor League Baseball this fall to bring a team back to the South Carolina city. We’ve reported on some preliminary talks between the city and MiLB facilitated by the Columbia Blowfish (summer collegiate; Coastal Plain League) ownership, which also owns the Mobile BayBears (Class […]
Will pro baseball return to Columbia?
From yesterday’s Ballpark Digest newsletter: with the Columbia Blowfish (summer collegiate; Coastal Plain League) season over and Cap City Stadium sold, the future of baseball there is in serious flux. UPDATED! By all measures, Columbia (S.C.) should be a pretty good market for Minor League Baseball: the city has a population of 129,272 and sits in the middle […]