A private developer would borrow money to build a new ballpark for a High Class A Carolina League team, with Wilmington (N.C.) and Mandalay Baseball Properties paying down the debt over time. The ballpark, which would be home to an Atlanta Braves farm team in the form of the relocating Lynchburg Hillcats, is projected to […]
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Mandalay, Braves to update Wilmington on ballpark
We’ll know more about a proposed Wilmington (N.C.) ballpark when Mandalay Baseball Properties and the Atlanta Braves update city officials on funding and site plans. Progress on the new ballpark has been fairly swift, with National Sports Services commissioned to scout out potential ballpark sites and identify possible revenue streams. Mandalay officials say they can […]
The Week That Was: May 13
New indy leagues and affiliated ballparks, updates to Dodger Stadium and Wrigley Field, and the fate of the Portland market all made headlines this week at Ballpark Digest. Here are the most popular stories of the past week on Ballpark Digest, as measured by page views: Five potential ballpark sites under discussion in Wilmington Dodger […]
Five potential ballpark sites under discussion in Wilmington
Five potential ballpark sites in Wilmington (N.C.) for an Atlanta Braves farm team will be presented to the public at meetings tonight and tomorrow night. The five sites include what many in the city consider to be the leader: a riverfront site near PPD, a site mentioned as the frontrunner since talk of a new […]
The race is on: NSS given marching orders in Wilmington
Wilmington (N.C.) officials today gave instructions to National Sports Services about what they expect in terms of a new-ballpark consulting report due in June. National Sports Services (NSS) will be representing the city on construction and funding of a new ballpark for the relocating Lynchburg Hillcats (High Class A; Carolina League), which will be owned […]
Wilmington bypasses Ripken Design as ballpark manager; NSS is hired
Avoiding a potential conflict between Ripken Design and Mandalay Baseball Properties, the Wilmington (N.C.) City Council went with a second choice as ballpark project manager. Initially city officials had chosen Ripken Design, part of Ripken Baseball, as the city’s project manager on a proposed waterfront ballpark in downtown Wilmington to be managed by Mandalay and inhabited […]
Ripken Design chosen to oversee Wilmington ballpark planning; controversy ensues
Ripken Design has been chosen as project manager for a new Wilmington (N.C.) ballpark, but some councilmembers — as well as Mandalay Baseball Properties and the Atlanta Braves — object. Ripken Design was chosen from a list of 10 possible project managers, with the news posted Friday on the city Website. (Reporedly the runner-up: National Sports […]
Mandalay, Braves to pursue private financing for new Wilmington ballpark
Mandalay Baseball Properties and the Atlanta Braves will pursue private financing for a new waterfront Wilmington (N.C.) ballpark, though some public money may end up being part of the deal. At a press conference this morning, Mandalay’s Rich Neumann and the Braves’ Mike Plant announced they’d be working on primarily private financing for the ballpark […]
Business leaders to push for new Wilmington ballpark
A new group of Wilmington (N.C.) business leaders is pushing for construction of a downtown ballpark for an Atlanta Braves farm team. The business leaders have formed the Wilmington Ballpark Coalition in an It will be headed by Jim Hundley, Jr., CEO of T2 Healthcare, which makes medical devices. “We’ve seen the great things that […]
In Lynchburg, sadness over potential loss of Hillcats
While Wilmington (N.C.) is giddy over the potential arrival of a team, fans of the Lynchburg Hillcats (High Class A; Carolina League) are dreading the team’s potential departure. It’s the flip side to the happy story when a new team arrives in a new market: the market losing the team, creating a loss for local […]
The Week That Was: April 1
No April Fools here: attendance expectations in Wilmington, indy-team comings and goings, and the sale of the Los Angeles Dodgers are this week’s top stories on Ballpark Digest, as measured by page views. What should Wilmington expect for new-ballpark attendance? Diamond Sports walks away from North American League management Wild Things to bring new team […]
What should Wilmington expect for new-ballpark attendance?
Mandalay Baseball Properties is projecting 350,000 fans showing up to Class A games at a new Wilmington (N.C.) ballpark. How realistic is this projection? As you’ll recall, Mandalay is working with the Atlanta Braves on a plan to bring in a High Class A Carolina League team to a new waterfront ballpark in Wilmington. Last […]
Poll: Wilmington residents overwhelmingly oppose public financing of new ballpark
A poll of 300 registered voters in Wilmington, N.C., indicated broad opposition to city financing of a new ballpark for an Atlanta Braves farm team — but don’t take it too seriously just yet. The proposal calls for a $40-million waterfront ballpark in downtown Wilmington, as part of a larger development. A High Class A […]