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Baseball on back burner in Parkersburg

Efforts on project appear to have stalled

File Photo An aerial shot of the proposed site for a sports and entertainment complex on Fort Boreman Hill.

PARKERSBURG — Feasibility studies and the donation of land got men on base, but it doesn’t appear the effort to bring a sports-and-entertainment complex to the city will be driven home any time soon.

A memorandum of understanding between the City of Parkersburg and Stu Williams, owner of the Frontier League’s Washington Wild Things, to work toward securing an independent minor league baseball franchise expired at the end of 2016, and those involved locally with the project say there’s been no activity in recent months.

“At this point, we have no partner, no one to build the stadium,” Parkersburg Mayor Tom Joyce said. “The city cannot afford, nor would we explore the possibility of building an $8 million to $12 million project.”

The city contributed $30,000 to a pair of feasibility studies for the project. Development Director Rickie Yeager said making the proposal a reality will require diverse funding sources and multiple partners.

Joyce took office Jan. 2 and said he has had no talks about the plan, which focused on a facility not only for baseball but also other entertainment, like concerts. It was based in part on the Wild Things’ home of CONSOL Energy Park in Washington, Pa.

The last major public development came in November 2015, when local developer Pat Minnite announced he would donate 10 acres of land off Fort Boreman Drive to serve as a site for the stadium. In 2014, he’d purchased 175 acres on Fort Boreman Hill and plans are under way to build a development there that includes residential, retail, restaurant, business and other components.

Asked about the status of the multipurpose sports/entertainment complex specifically, Lisa Collins, marketing strategist for the PM Company, addressed the project as a whole.

“Fort Boreman remains an important investment for PMC,” she said via email. “Successful development of such a large property depends on the local economy and other development happening around that area. We don’t foresee breaking ground in 2017, unless a major opportunity would present itself. There are no formal agreements in place with any investors or partners at this time.

“We have drawings in the works, and are moving cautiously, taking our time to plan,” Collins said. “We only have one chance to create something to benefit the future of the area, and we want to do it correctly.”

In January 2015, then-Mayor Bob Newell announced he’d signed a “non-binding, cooperative agreement” with Williams under which Williams would commit staff and resources to develop a plan, secure a Frontier League franchise, operate and manage the stadium and pay rent for the facility. In return, he received exclusive rights to bring a team to the area, and the city agreed to acquire property for the stadium and dedicate hotel/motel tax revenue toward that acquisition and financing, pending City Council approval.

When Newell stepped down in June 2015, Sam Winans, chairman of the baseball committee organized by Wood County Economic Development, said efforts would continue. When the donation of the property was announced, Williams said he’d met with both Minnite and Newell’s successor, Mayor Jimmy Colombo.

But the “exclusivity period” outlined in the agreement ended Dec. 31, 2016.

Williams did not return calls seeking comment.

Winans said the development organization’s baseball committee hasn’t been directly involved with the project since the Minnites donated the land, though he had attended meetings on the subject since then.

“It’s really up to the City of Parkersburg and the Minnite family,” he said. “We haven’t had a meeting for six or seven months now.”

Winans said he still supports the project.

At one point, a Parkersburg franchise was seen as the way to balance the number of teams in the Frontier League. With 13 franchises from Missouri to Pennsylvania, the League fielded a traveling team, the Frontier Greys, for several years. But the travel team was eliminated after the departure of the Rockford Aviators, leaving the league with an even dozen teams.

That doesn’t mean there would be no room for a local team, Frontier League Commissioner Bill Lee said.

“We’re always looking for good opportunities, and if something would present itself, that would be great,” he said.

However, all has been quiet on the Parkersburg front from Lee’s perspective.

“I haven’t heard anything from the city or potential ownership group … for over a year,” he said.

Joyce said the city hasn’t closed the door on baseball.

“We’re willing to discuss it, but the scope and type of that project is not something the city can be lead chair on,” Joyce said. “Nothing’s ever dead. There’s always the possibility of all types of development.”

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