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Outside money funds Wilmington ballpark battle

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WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — As Election Day inches closer, the ballpark campaign is heating up. But who’s behind the funding for the race?

According to financial reports, funding for the “Vote Yes” campaign was mainly donated by groups who would directly benefit from a ballpark in the Port City.

The Wilmington Family Entertainment and Baseball Coalition has raised nearly $113,000. Mandalay Baseball Properties and the Atlanta Braves pitched in $12,500. The two companies that own land for proposed sites contributed a combined $37,000. Only two individuals donated to the cause, including campaign spokesman Terry Spencer.

“Vote No Stadium Tax” raised $38,000. While there were 11 individual donors, most of the money, $32,000, came from the conservative group Americans for Prosperity.


Ballpark could bring homes and businesses to downtown Wilmington

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WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — If voters say yes to a baseball stadium next week, we could see some businesses and homes in downtown Wilmington.

Patrick Melton of South Street Partners says the Charlotte-based private real estate investment company has put in an offer to buy the Upper Dean Tract. That’s next to the Sawmill Point property between Cowan Street and the Isabel Holmes Bridge the city is negotiating to buy for a ballpark. Melton is listed as a manager for Sawmill Point.

In a news release, Melton says South Street would build high-end residential and retail space if voters approve a bond referendum to build the ballpark.

“We are serious about making downtown Wilmington a magnet for economic development,” Melton said in the release. “We know that the ballpark will make this area of downtown a true destination for entertainment and business. A mixed-use project overlooking the ballpark will be another key asset in the area’s ongoing development.”

Ballpark supporters host informational happy hour

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WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Election Day is right around the corner, and campaigns for the ballpark referendum in Wilmington are moving full steam ahead. We caught up with the “Vote Yes” group to see how they are continuing to gather supporters.

As November 6 approaches, groups both for and against a ballpark in the Port City are sliding to the end of their campaign efforts.

“Lately it’s picked up,” said John Rooker, who supports the $37 million referendum. “I feel like earlier a lot of people weren’t into it, but I feel like it’s gaining momentum.”

South Street Partners and Port City Baseball held an informational happy hour Thursday to give voters and taxpayers the facts about the ballpark and bond referendum, hoping to get those on the fence to vote yes.

Terry Spencer, spokesman for the “Vote Yes” campaign, says things are headed in the right direction.

“We’re noticing from our social media sites that activity both in terms of favorability and visits is really picking up in some cases doubling and tripling since two weeks ago before the debate,” Spencer said.

Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial: Former baseball team’s move to Georgia ‘case study in stadium foolishness’

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RICHMOND, VA (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH) — Bitter recrimination was the order of the day when the Richmond Braves ball club lit out for Gwinnett, Ga., four years ago. The AAA team had demanded a replacement for its aging ballpark, The Diamond, and local officials hadn’t come through. The city and surrounding counties were denounced as the gang that couldn’t shoot straight.

Now it’s beginning to look like they dodged a bullet.

County leaders in Gwinnett lured the Braves from Richmond by borrowing millions to build the team a spanking-new stadium. Residents were ecstatic over what the Gwinnett Daily Post termed the fulfillment of "Gwinnett’s dream." A study plumped Gwinnett as "an ideal location" and "one of the strongest markets in the country" for a minor-league club. The paper said surveys showed "overwhelming support" for the proposal.

But the bloom, as they say, is off the rose.

Click here to read more at TimeDispatch.com

Latest poll shows strong opposition to ballpark bond

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WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — To build or not to build. That is the question facing Wilmington voters. A new poll released today may give us some insight into how Port City voters are leaning heading into the election.

A poll of 300 Wilmington voters this week by the conservative Civitas Institute shows that overwhelmingly Wilmington voters are expected to say no.

“Fifty-nine percent of the voters said they are certain to vote against it,” Civitas Institute President Francis De Luca said. “Twenty-six percent said they are going to support it. Fifteen percent said they’re undecided. What that translates into, if you look back at our other polls, is probably a 65 to 70-percent vote against the bond.”

The results of the poll, with a margin of error of 5.8 percent, would seem to rule out the possibility of the referendum passing, but “Vote Yes” campaign manager Terry Spencer says he still believes Port City residents will play ball.

“We’re optimistic,” Spencer said. “We have seen an awful lot of momentum coming in the last several weeks. I think the debate was an overwhelming success for our side. We’ve seen an awful lot of energy from our folks and on our social media platforms have gone off the charts.”

If the referendum fails, some city leaders believe it could be quite some time before Wilmington has another opportunity like this.

“It will be hard for all of the pieces to fit together again; having a franchise available, having a major sports team that can acquire that franchise, having a major operator wanting to be here, having the land available, because remember that if this doesn’t go to the ballpark, it will go to something else, but we don’t know what,” City Councilman Kevin O’Grady said.

A question that can only be answered Tuesday.

“The only poll that matters is the one that is going to happen on November 6, and we’re optimistic about our chances, and we look forward to seeing them,” Spencer said.

We tried to talk to Mayor Bill Saffo about the poll, but when we told him the results, he declined and referred us to Councilman O’Grady.

Council to consider ballpark site, Christmas tree lighting, more Wednesday

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WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — With Election Day tomorrow, Wilmington City Council won’t meet Tuesday as usual, but at least one item on the agenda for council’s Wednesday night meeting will depend on what happens Tuesday at polls.

If voters approve a $37 million bond referendum for the ballpark, council will vote on a resolution for a $5.2 million option to purchase an eight-acre parcel next to the Isabel Holmes Bridge for the stadium. If the bond vote fails, the resolution will likely be moot.

Staff will also provide options for improving the visibility/navigation of Kenan Fountain at Market and 5th streets. Several cars have hit the fountain over the last two years, and council has directed staff to look at alternatives to help reduce accidents at the fountain. Council is not expected to take a formal vote, but will be asked to provide input and direction about the various alternatives.

Council will also hear an update about the city’s new Big Blue recycling program and will join the national America Recycles Day on Nov. 15. Beginning next week, large blue recycling carts will be delivered to customers who participate in the city’s voluntary recycling program. The number of customers who choose to recycle has already increased by more than 10 percent since the carts started being promoted last spring. The carts will be delivered Nov. 12-Dec. 1, just in time for the holidays when recycling is heaviest. Weekly recycling pick-up will continue until Jan. 7, 2013, when the new every-other-week schedule will begin. The city will save $220,000 in annual manpower costs with the new schedule, and expects the amount of materials to be recycled to increase by 15-20 percent.

Council will consider a resolution to accept the donation of a one-acre parcel at 6001 Mariner Lane (formerly Hinton Avenue) for a park in the Seagate neighborhood. The park would be a memorial to the original property owners, the late Edward John Haneman (“Captain” Eddy Haneman) and his wife Mary Haneman, who were well known in area for sport fishing/recreation in the 1950s-1990s. The park would include a memorial plaque and playground, as well as bike racks that will be needed because of the nearby River-to-Sea Bikeway.

Another resolution would move the current holiday tree lighting from the old tree at the Sweeney Water Plant to the Rotary Wheel at Greenfield Lake beginning this year, with a more extensive holiday celebration coordinated with the local Rotary Club beginning in 2013. The old tree at Sweeney is no longer capable of supporting lights because 80 percent of the foliage at the top of the tree is now gone. In addition, access to the plant is limited because of additional post 9/11 security measures and the opening of the MLK Parkway. The local Rotary Club proposed the new holiday tradition and will work with the city to develop holiday programs at the site.

City Council meets Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.

Ballpark referendum strikes out

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WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — After several months of campaigning both for and against building a ballpark in the Port City, results are in, and voters overwhelmingly said no. Seventy percent of Wilmington voters decided against the city building a $37 million ballpark.

“I hope that our leaders now and in the future remember this, that we spoke very loudly,” said Scott Harry, spokesman for the “Vote No Stadium Tax” campaign. “The people spoke. It wasn’t me. It was the people, and they said keep your hands out of our pockets.”

City Councilman Kevin O’Grady, a huge proponent for the ballpark deal, says the future of baseball in Wilmington has ended with Tuesday night’s results.

“I still think it was a great opportunity for the city, but it’s up to the voters, and if they’ve rejected it, we’re not going to do it,” O’Grady said.

However, Harry does not believe this is over for the city.

“I think that if it’s not Mandalay, it will be somebody else,” he said. “If it’s not next week, it will be next year.:

Terry Spencer, spokesman for the “Vote Yes” campaign agrees with Harry.

“Our work is not done,” Spencer said. “We did see from the results. We’ve got a lot of work to do. We have a lot of minds to convince, but that’s just a challenge for us. We’ll continue to go forward.”

In a statement, Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo said:

“Baseball has been discussed in our community for a number of years and this was the first viable proposal we had seen, involving not only Major League Baseball, but also a nationally known management entertainment company. Clearly this opportunity came knocking at our door at a tough time, when citizens are worried about government spending, even when the benefits are large. That’s why it was important for citizens to have their say and that’s why we put this referendum on the ballot.

“It is clear from the outcome of this election that our citizens do not want to pursue baseball and we have heard them. We will continue to focus on providing core services to our citizens, just as we always have. We will also continue to look for economic develop opportunities that will benefit our city in the future.

“This has been a healthy debate for our community with strong feelings on both sides. We ask everyone – supporters and opponents – to stay involved in city government and continue to promote positive growth and change for our community. Most of all, we thank everyone who took part in this debate for stepping up to do what they think is right for our city.”

In another statement, Mandalay Baseball Properties and the Atlanta Braves thanked Wilmington.

“The Atlanta Braves and Mandalay Baseball are disappointed that the ballpark referendum has been defeated,” the statement said. “We would like to thank Mayor Saffo, City Council, the city administration, the numerous civic and business leaders and all the volunteers who worked tirelessly on this terrific opportunity for the City of Wilmington.”

Chamber of commerce talks future of baseball in Wilmington

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WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Is it past time for the national pastime in the Port City? Tuesday night, voters overwhelmingly said no to building a baseball stadium in Wilmington.

Since the city first pitched building a ballpark in the Port City, the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce has been behind the scenes. Wednesday night, WWAY spoke with the president to find out what’s next.

“Sad. I mean we had an opportunity with great partners, probably the best partnerships we could’ve had for downtown and we lost it,” says Connie Majure-Rhett, chamber president and CEO. “We don’t have lots of big industry. We don’t have lots of huge employers, so we have to take every opportunity we can, every enhancement we can to make this community viable.”

For months the chamber has helped fund and build support for the ballpark referendum, most of it out of the spotlight. Tuesday, about 70 percent of Wilmington voters decided against building a $37 million downtown baseball stadium.

Majure-Rhett says though the future doesn’t look bright for baseball in Wilmington, there have been glimmers of hope.

“I guess if a great opportunity comes up that we don’t know about,” she says. “We hear rumors of private investors, but nobody ever steps forward and says I’m the private investor. We just rumor about private investors, so we’ll see.”

Mayor Bill Saffo, a huge proponent of the ballpark, says the game is over and the people have spoken.

“Baseball is done here in Wilmington, for the time being and who knows if it would ever come back,” Saffo says. “It was a healthy debate for the community and the people have spoken. It’s done.”


Lynchburg Hillcats expected to stay after Wilmington stadium nixed

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LYNCHBURG, VA (LYNCHBURG NEWS & ADVANCE) — A potential deal to move the Lynchburg Hillcats minor league baseball team to Wilmington, N.C. was shot down by voters there Tuesday.

In February, the Hillcats dropped a bombshell on area baseball fans — if the citizens of Wilmington, N.C., would agree to help build a new stadium there, the Atlanta Braves would buy the Hillcats and move them south before the start of the 2014 season.

“Now we can plan on being status quo, and continuing with the Carolina League staying in the Hill City,” Hillcats general manager Paul Sunwall said.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

Ballpark push cost taxpayers $291,000

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WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — After months of planning and debate, Wilmington’s plan to build a ballpark struck out on Election Day. Voters may have avoided a tax increase, but they’ll still foot the bill for the city’s pursuit of a stadium.

“Is baseball good for wilmington? I think baseball can be successful in wilmington. I can’t say that it’s the right investment for Wilmington,” Brian Parker of National Sports Service, the city’s hired consultant, told City Council back in June.

City leaders, of course, swung for the fences with a $37 million ballpark bond referendum, which failed when put in front of voters. But the taxpayer dollars had already been spent on the project.

“They put the cart before the horse,” said Scott Harry, a spokesman for the opposition group Vote No Stadium Tax. “They started spending money, our money, before they ever got our approval.”

City spokesman Dylan Lee says the city spent $291,000 to finance the ballpark effort. Of that amount, $161,000 went to National Sports Services for a feasibility study. The city spent another $124,000 on attorneys fees to negotiate the deal with the Atlanta Braves and Mandalay Baseball. Another $6,000 went toward miscellaneous expenses, including an appraisal and getting the bond written. The total, though, does not account for the amount of time city staff spent on the effort.

Harry says this was a blatant waste of taxpayer dollars.

“I think it’s gotten very easy for them to spend other people’s money,” Harry said. “There are plenty of problems in the city, and the mayor himself has said they’re getting back to the core priorities. They should never have left that.”

The city says any money left over in the budget for the ballpark push will go back into the city’s general fund.

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