With a team on the way and season tickets soon to be sold, a groundbreaking for a new Biloxi ballpark to house the relocating Huntsville Stars (Class AA; Southern League) is set for Thursday. Gov. Phil Bryant is expected to be there. The new ballpark is expected to open for the 2015 season. The $36-million […]
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New Biloxi ballpark draws interest from developers
Developers are looking at new ventures near a new Biloxi ballpark set to open in 2015, as long-ignored properties are in play. With the Huntsville Stars (Class AA; Southern League) on the way to a move to a new Biloxi ballpark in 2015, there’s been interest in investments in the ballpark area, reports Jerry Creel, […]
It’s official: Huntsville Stars sold, expected to move to Biloxi in 2015
The worst-kept secret in Minor League Baseball is now out in the open: the Huntsville Stars (Class AA; Southern League) have been sold and presumably will be moving to Biloxi and a new ballpark in 2015. The move is no surprise: it’s been rumored for months that veteran operator Ken Young would be buying the […]
New Tides lease on tap for Harbor Park
A new lease at Harbor Park for the Norfolk Tides (Class AAA; International League) will see an increased rent for the team, along with a slew of ballpark improvements down the road. The 15-year lease calls for a base rent of $225,000 and gives the city a share of team revenues — 10 percent of […]
Biloxi sets up ballpark spending, contingent on team purchase
The Biloxi City Council approved a $1 million fund for a new Class AA Southern League ballpark, to be used until a team is purchased for a move, at which point bonds can be sold. The ballpark deal between minor-league operator Ken Young and the city calls for Young to close on the purchase of […]
Biloxi approves new-ballpark funding; team set to play in 2015
The Biloxi City Council today moved forward with a bonding plan for a new $36-million ballpark, paving the way for Ken Young to move a Class AA Southern League team there in 2015. The $36-million financing plan for the 6,000-seat ballpark is pretty simple: the city will use $15 million from a state grant stemming […]
Biloxi ballpark vote set for Tuesday
A final vote on a new Biloxi ballpark for a Class AA Southern League team is set for Tuesday morning, following a public hearing on the financing plan. The $36-million financing plan is pretty simple: the city will use $15 million from a state grant stemming from BP monies, and the remaining $21 million will […]
The Week That Was: Sept. 7-14, 2013
Attendance tallies, the temporary return of MLB to Montreal, Target Field improvements and new-ballpark news. The top stories of the week on Ballpark Digest, as measured by page views. On a related note: Ballpark Digest set a record for daily page views this past week, totaing 51,692 on Sept. 12. Thanks to each and every […]
Young: New ballpark will spark downtown Biloxi growth
Experienced MiLB operator Ken Young is meeting tomorrow with the Biloxi City Council about his plans to bring a Class AA Southern League team to a new downtown ballpark. Young, with ownership stakes in the Albuquerque Isotopes (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), Norfolk Tides (Class AAA; International League), Bowie BaySox (Class AA; Eastern League) and […]
Consultant: Biloxi ballpark site would be a winner
This is quite the endorsement: Charles Johnson IV of Johnson Consulting calls a proposed Biloxi ballpark a sure winner, with average baseball attendance and above-average event attendance. The recipient of a $25,000 contract from the city, Johnson pegs the ballpark’s economic impact at $34 million annually (with the average game/event attendee spending $70 during each […]
Biloxi: Let’s slow down new-ballpark plan
The Biloxi City Council took a step back from funding a new Class AA Southern League ballpark and decided to analyze whether the investment makes economic sense. The Council had previously agreed to spend $21 million on the new $35-million ballpark for a relocated Southern League team, to be owned by veteran MiLB operator Ken […]
New Biloxi ballpark could slip to 2015
Given that it’s almost August and there’s no ballpark financing in place, much less ground broken on a new facility, it’s increasingly looking like the Southern League won’t be arriving in Biloxi until 2015. True, there’s been a lot of work on the project behind the scenes: the city has solicited bonds to pay for […]
Proposed Biloxi ballpark draws opposition; rally set for today
A proposed Biloxi ballpark for a Class AA Southern League team has hit some more opposition, as some councilmen want to see it located elsewhere in the city, and more opponents seek public input. We already once covered the effort by the Steps Coalition to force a referendum on the ballpark-funding issue; leaders of that […]