Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I feel like Guy Smith Park could be a perfect temporary baseball location if we needed something quick. Going on the assumption that a better ballpark would get built uptown.
Yea, maybe. The very first year only. From pictures, it looks like barely 500 people can fit into Guy Smith Stadium.
I believe Holly Springs 1800 seat CPL stadium took roughly 6 months to be completed construction from start to finish. So a 2-3k stadium (with available room to grow) could/should/would take less than a year to complete. ECU's stadium started construction in May of 04 and was finished in March of 2005.
Point is...If Greenville can get a team, and location squared away and the funds to start construction, the stadium can be built and Guy Smith Stadium would not be needed.
Lot's of ifs and buts and we don't know for sure if Fayetteville and/or Kinston is getting a new minor league team yet. I really think getting some sort of civic entertainment is key in building this city. A sports stadium is a great way to spark growth. Especially if they can finagle it so that the stadium & field can be configured for multiple purposes. Concerts, festivals, baseball and soccer. We need to get the most out of the stadium for the money!
Kinston has gotten so bad since the Indians left (no relation between the two, just the same timeframe) that I don't know if Grainger Stadium will still be the regional destination that it once was. My idea of a fun night does not begin in Kinston. It was a different place back in the 90s-early 00s. It seems it should not be hard for Greenville to land a team.
I feel like Guy Smith Park could be a perfect temporary baseball location if we needed something quick. Going on the assumption that a better ballpark would get built uptown.
Not Clark-LeClair as a temporary instead? (Assuming there would be permission to sell and consume alcohol during professional games.)
Kinston has gotten so bad since the Indians left (no relation between the two, just the same timeframe) that I don't know if Grainger Stadium will still be the regional destination that it once was. My idea of a fun night does not begin in Kinston. It was a different place back in the 90s-early 00s. It seems it should not be hard for Greenville to land a team.
The Texas Rangers seem pretty bent on putting a team in Kinston. They haven't given up, despite striking out last year.
Kinston has gotten so bad since the Indians left (no relation between the two, just the same timeframe) that I don't know if Grainger Stadium will still be the regional destination that it once was. My idea of a fun night does not begin in Kinston. It was a different place back in the 90s-early 00s. It seems it should not be hard for Greenville to land a team.
I agree. I've been to Kinston during those years and it wasn't a complete crime-ridden toilet like it is now. Now, it seems as if Kinston is trying to compete with Rocky Mount for being the most dangerous city in eastern NC. Any baseball team would have to be insane to move to Kinston now. The Indians may have left for different reasons, but I honestly couldn't blame them if crime had been the reason they left. If any city deserves a team these days, it's Greenville. Kinston's toast.
Not Clark-LeClair as a temporary instead? (Assuming there would be permission to sell and consume alcohol during professional games.)
I assume alcohol has been the issue (along with potential scheduling conflicts) for using Clark Leclair. Most minor league teams start the season in April and it could cause scheduling issues between ECU and the Minor league team. Luckily the CPL usually starts in late May after the college postseason is almost complete. With ECU starting to use Minges for more civic events, I could see them being warm to the idea of hosting the minor league team for a season or two. Split gate & concessions & parking with the cpl team...tuck a "beer garden" in a corner and stop sales pretty early if they have a problem with the alcohol...and Greenville has their own baseball team.
Truthfully, the thought of a minor league team really terrifies me for Greenville. Study after study has shown that the economic impact of stadiums and teams has been very minimal, if any. (If the stadium is financed and built by the community- like most). Some considerations:
* Greenville has a very limited tax-base due to the large footprint of our public schools, hospitals and city owned property. We do not have money to throw around at (in my opinion) an adult playground.
* These publicly financed stadiums are used for a private enterprise. Stadiums and publicly funded projects like that are often considered a 'rich mans playground that the poor man paid for'. You are taking residents tax money and saying 'you will enjoy baseball'. But in reality, most residents cannot afford to attend many baseball games. I do not believe that this is a fair/Utilitarian appropriation of tax revenue.
* Studies show that the jobs created from stadiums are often service related. (Few high paying jobs are created).
* Many deals have shown toxic for the town- Example: Newark spent $30 million for the Newark Bears stadium, 15 years ago. The team stayed 13 years before going bankrupt and folding. Normally, you now have a stadium, like Kinston, that just sits there and rots. Or the town has to pay money to tear it down- luckily since it's Newark and any land is valuable, the city was able to sell it for $23.5 million to a developer who will tear it down.
* Toxic example 2- Richmond Squirrels have the city backed into a corner: "either you buy us a new stadium, because we want a new one, or we are leaving". Like every pro-team. A time will come, and typically not too far down the road, where they want a new stadium, or they are leaving. It's a never ending cycle that becomes extremely political.
In conclusion, I'll be happy to drive 30 minutes to Kinston, (a couple of times a season) to not have the City of Greenville and Pitt County pay for someone's stadium. Of course, there are some figures that beg to differ, that show a positive economic impact, though I tend to distrust who commissioned the study.... )It's kind of like the film tax credit economic impact study that showed such positive numbers while the study was paid for by someone who had an interest in the film sector) And to make things clear, I'm not completely against some public funds to minor league baseball teams, but for Greenville, I am not 'on-board'.
Truthfully, the thought of a minor league team really terrifies me for Greenville. Study after study has shown that the economic impact of stadiums and teams has been very minimal, if any. (If the stadium is financed and built by the community- like most). Some considerations:
* Greenville has a very limited tax-base due to the large footprint of our public schools, hospitals and city owned property. We do not have money to throw around at (in my opinion) an adult playground.
* These publicly financed stadiums are used for a private enterprise. Stadiums and publicly funded projects like that are often considered a 'rich mans playground that the poor man paid for'. You are taking residents tax money and saying 'you will enjoy baseball'. But in reality, most residents cannot afford to attend many baseball games. I do not believe that this is a fair/Utilitarian appropriation of tax revenue.
* Studies show that the jobs created from stadiums are often service related. (Few high paying jobs are created).
* Many deals have shown toxic for the town- Example: Newark spent $30 million for the Newark Bears stadium, 15 years ago. The team stayed 13 years before going bankrupt and folding. Normally, you now have a stadium, like Kinston, that just sits there and rots. Or the town has to pay money to tear it down- luckily since it's Newark and any land is valuable, the city was able to sell it for $23.5 million to a developer who will tear it down.
* Toxic example 2- Richmond Squirrels have the city backed into a corner: "either you buy us a new stadium, because we want a new one, or we are leaving". Like every pro-team. A time will come, and typically not too far down the road, where they want a new stadium, or they are leaving. It's a never ending cycle that becomes extremely political.
In conclusion, I'll be happy to drive 30 minutes to Kinston, (a couple of times a season) to not have the City of Greenville and Pitt County pay for someone's stadium. Of course, there are some figures that beg to differ, that show a positive economic impact, though I tend to distrust who commissioned the study.... )It's kind of like the film tax credit economic impact study that showed such positive numbers while the study was paid for by someone who had an interest in the film sector) And to make things clear, I'm not completely against some public funds to minor league baseball teams, but for Greenville, I am not 'on-board'.
I don't think it should be fully funded by the city, but a public private partnership I could get on board with a piece of a greater revitalization project for the uptown area. Yes there are pitfalls and dangers, but there are with most things. Greenville is a very sport inclined city and especially towards baseball, I think a team would have a better chance of success here than perhaps another city. Do you know if these studies are specific to the team/organization and its impact (tax revenues and job creation), do they take into consideration the revitalization that could happen around the park, the business that open around the park. Take Durham for example, and yes they are a popular brand bc of their history, but they built a new park and Durham exploded around it.
Greenville needs more entertainment options, especially those outside of ECU's sport schedule (ie the summer). That doesn't necessarily have to be a baseball team though. Minor league ticket prices aren't expensive either, MudCats are as cheap as 10 and the Bulls are as cheap as 7. I know I am biased bc I'm a fan of the sport but I still think it is something the "fits" Greenville. Even a CPL team, if someone had the money to invest in a nice stadium and served beer it would be a great addition to the budding Uptown area.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Minor league team
