It was less than budgeted: Wilmington (N.C.) spent around $200,000 on efforts to bring Minor League Baseball to the city, with most of that money going to National Sports Services (NSS). NSS was paid $135,000 for a feasibility study, concluding the city could economically support pro baseball, outlining potential lease terms and suggesting different funding […]
Tag Archives | mandalay baseball properties
After overwhelming defeat at polls, don’t look for MiLB in Wilmington any time soon
After Wilmington (N.C.) voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposed property-tax hike for a new waterfront ballpark, elected officials and baseball people say there probably will be no further efforts to bring MiLB to the city. The proposal was for a new ballpark funded by taxpayers: $31 million for the ballpark and $6 million for the land. […]
Wilmington voters overwhelmingly reject ballpark plan
At the end of the day, it wasn’t close: Wilmington (N.C.) voters overwhelmingly rejected a hike in local property taxes to pay for a new ballpark for a High Class A Carolina League team. The final margin: 70 percent against, 30 percent for. Not a surprise: polls from both sides had shown overwhelming opposition to […]
Poll: Wilmington voters oppose ballpark funding plan
A new poll shows considerable opposition to public funding of a new Wilmington (N.C.) ballpark for a High Class A Carolina League team, as voters prepare to decide on the issue in next Tuesday’s elections. The poll, from the conservative Civitas Institute, reports 59 percent of Wilmington voters said they were certain to vote against […]
Sweetening the pot in Wilmington
Whether this sways any voters remains to be seen, but it looks like a proposed new ballpark in Wilmington (N.C.) could attract outside investors, as a development firm say it will build next to the Carolina League facility if approved. The developer, Charlotte-based South Street Partners, is pitching high-end residential and retail space if voters approve […]
Wilmington still negotiating ballpark site
Wilmington (N.C.) officials have settled on two waterfront sites for a potential ballpark for a High Class A Carolina League team and are negotiating with the landowners. The plan: the city would fund a $37-million ballpark project for a ballpark to be managed by Mandalay Baseball Properties and hosting a team owned by the Atlanta […]
PNC Field renovation continues, but court battle for Yanks looms
The renovation of PNC Field, home of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (Class AAA; International League), continues, even as the two counties that formerly owned the team prepare for a court battle over sale proceeds. The framing on the new second deck is done, and concrete is being poured. The construction team is racing the calendar to […]
Poll results won’t be public: Wilmington chamber
Results of polling on a new Wilmington (N.C.) ballpark for an Atlanta Braves farm team won’t be released to the public by the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce. The stated reason: the polling was done to refine a message urging voters to approve a property-tax hike ($50 annually on a house worth $200,000) to pay for […]
No, Erie’s not moving to Ottawa
We were pitched this story and passed because we know it’s not true, but apparently there’s enough talk to make it worth covering elsewhere: No, the Erie SeaWolves (Class AA; Eastern League) are not moving to Ottawa. An original, erroneous report in the Ottawa Citizen had the Mandalay Baseball Properties-owned SeaWolves as being a team […]
Lease officially approved in Wilmington
Though both sides had agreed to the terms, a lease for a new Wilmington (N.C.) ballpark with Mandalay Baseball Properties and the Atlanta Braves was officially approved by the City Council. As you’ll recall, the three announced last Friday that all sides had agreed to a lease that called for a Braves-owned Wilmington team to […]
Mandalay, Wilmington, Braves agree to ballpark lease
The city of Wilmington (N.C.), Mandalay Baseball Properties and the Atlanta Braves agreed on a lease for a proposed waterfront ballpark — if voters agree to fund it via property-tax hike in the November elections. That’s a big if, of course, and we’re hearing that polling in the field has the referendum going down, but […]
No Wilmington ballpark deal — yet
Negotiations between the city of Wilmington (N.C.) and Mandalay Baseball Properties for a new Class A Carolina League ballpark continue, with a deal expected by Sept. 18. It’s taken far longer to reach a deal than city officials anticipated, but it sounds like the delays were due more to logistics than anything else: with three […]
Second ballpark site emerges in Wilmington
Wilmington (N.C.) officials are exploring a second waterfront site for a new Class A Carolina League ballpark — one that would lower the cost to taxpayers. The city had pretty much settled on an 8.5-acre site near PPD owned by developer Chuck Schoninger, which should cost around $6 million. But the availability of an 8-acre site […]