Sprindale Minor League Sports Complex and Minor League Baseball Stadium

[Aporkalypse]

Yeah quite a number of the Texas League teams have moved the past 20-30 years. I hadn't heard about the HD screen. That's cool we'll be the first to have one.

[zman9810]

They aren't a-kiddin' that you can see something new every day at the new ballpark. It's rising from the ground now...they're putting steel up for what I guess is the main entryway, suites, etc.

Should have known this, I guess, but it appears that the entrance (the one pictured on the front page here and in their "flythrough" movie) appears to face to the west. It'll be fascinating to see the way this is lit up from the highway.

(Speaking of "lit up"...there's a new Kum and Go (hate that name) convenience store at the I-540/Elm Springs exit just to the north, and a Value Place extended stay motel with it's visible-for-a-mile sign is getting ready to open behind that store...Springdale's getting much more visible north to south from the freeway.)

[KJW]

Two things:

- Anyone see that article in the paper today about Springdale applying for a special fireworks exemption so they can shoot off fireworks regularly during games. Talk about "lighting up" a formerly dark corner of I-540 even more...

- I know we've talked about getting interstate access hopefully at Watkins someday. I'm wondering how much traffic is going to back up at the I-540 / 412 exit this spring. That exit is crowded enough...I'd think our local highway people may be concerned about this one as I don't think we know what we're possibly headed for given current access to the stadium.

[masons_dad1]

Two things:

- Anyone see that article in the paper today about Springdale applying for a special fireworks exemption so they can shoot off fireworks regularly during games. Talk about "lighting up" a formerly dark corner of I-540 even more...

- I know we've talked about getting interstate access hopefully at Watkins someday. I'm wondering how much traffic is going to back up at the I-540 / 412 exit this spring. That exit is crowded enough...I'd think our local highway people may be concerned about this one as I don't think we know what we're possibly headed for given current access to the stadium.

[cocothief]

Springdale is already having to make budget cuts just to bring their employees up to minimum salaries from a year ago. Springdale also knows that more budget cuts will be made in coming years as sales tax revenue keeps sliding downhill. Why on earth are they even considering wasting taxpayer's money on fireworks when emergency dispatchers in Springdale are the lowest paid in the country? I think this ballpark is going to prove to be a big mistake on Springdale's part and Springdale's taxpayers and government employees are going to regret it in years to come.

[masons_dad1]

Yeah I don't know if this was the best use of city sales tax revenue.

A better use would have been bulldozing the right of ways on Sunset and Thomson, retrofitting signs, and planting trees.

I don't know what the payoff is going to be in the long run, and I think you're right, they may come up empty after all of this.

Some property longtime owners on the west side are going to be much better off, however.

[Mith242]

I don't know. I can understand the concerns, but I think this could work as well as some of the other options. This is the city that worked on trying to revamp it's downtown for that to only flop. Springdale could spend a lot of money to 'revitalize' an area and it doesn't mean it has any better chance of working. I'm not saying they should give up, but Springdale seems to be in a weird position. It already seems to be positioned as a bedroom community and revitalizing parts of the city may not mean it's going to keep people in Springdale instead of them going to Fayetteville or Rogers/Bentonville to entertain themselves. The ballpark might not be the best solution for them, but I'm not sure if it's any worse than some of the other options.

[cocothief]

I don't know. I can understand the concerns, but I think this could work as well as some of the other options. This is the city that worked on trying to revamp it's downtown for that to only flop. Springdale could spend a lot of money to 'revitalize' an area and it doesn't mean it has any better chance of working. I'm not saying they should give up, but Springdale seems to be in a weird position. It already seems to be positioned as a bedroom community and revitalizing parts of the city may not mean it's going to keep people in Springdale instead of them going to Fayetteville or Rogers/Bentonville to entertain themselves. The ballpark might not be the best solution for them, but I'm not sure if it's any worse than some of the other options.

[KJW]

To the tune of Boston's "More than a feeling":

"More than a ballpaaaaaark (more than a ballpaaaark)..."

" This isn't just a place where baseball's going to be played, " said Eric Edelstein, general manager of the Naturals, the minor league affiliate of the Kansas City Royals that will kick off its inaugural season in Springdale in 2008. "This is going to be a social gathering center for the region. I have to pinch myself every day. This really is a dream project. "

[masons_dad1]

To the tune of Boston's "More than a feeling":

" This isn't just a place where baseball's going to be played, " said Eric Edelstein, general manager of the Naturals, the minor league affiliate of the Kansas City Royals that will kick off its inaugural season in Springdale in 2008. "This is going to be a social gathering center for the region. I have to pinch myself every day. This really is a dream project. "

"More than a ballpaaaaaark (more than a ballpaaaark)..."

[Mith242]

To the tune of Boston's "More than a feeling":

"More than a ballpaaaaaark (more than a ballpaaaark)..."

and also from today's ArDemGaz local papers:

My one question: Wonder why all of this stone isn't coming from a quarry in Arkansas? We've got a lot of 'em.

(You Little Rock area UP members - I've always gotten a kick out of the house in Benton that may be the only in America (or the world) built out of Saline County-minded bauxite aluminum ore bricks, which are apparently quite malleable. You touch one and its like a rock sponge - one gets the feeling he could leave his fingerprints etched on the bricks of the house.)

[Aporkalypse]

Is it the type of stone?

Virtually everything built with stone in DFW uses limestone, so I assume that's what these quarries have. I haven't seen many limestone quarries in Arkansas. Around LR there are many rock and granite quarries and a lot of homes have stone elements made from these.

Limestone is easy to cut into bricks that make more uniform walls as opposed to many of the rock types used for housing in Arkansas which can be irregular and haphazard and are tough to cut.

[Mith242]

Is it the type of stone?

Virtually everything built with stone in DFW uses limestone, so I assume that's what these quarries have. I haven't seen many limestone quarries in Arkansas. Around LR there are many rock and granite quarries and a lot of homes have stone elements made from these.

Limestone is easy to cut into bricks that make more uniform walls as opposed to many of the rock types used for housing in Arkansas which can be irregular and haphazard and are tough to cut.

[KJW]

From today's (10/13) paper:

Northwest Arkansas appears eager for minor-league baseball. (Emphasis mine, not the article's headline.)

Eric Edelstein, team manager of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, said Thursday that individuals and businesses are snapping up multiyear ticket packages at Arvest Ballpark.

The team has sold 12 of 22 available luxury suites, 852

[zman9810]

From today's (10/13) paper:

[masons_dad1]

It's great that tickets are selling so well but I hope the buyers are going to actually show up for the games. I imagine some are being bought by holders that maynot be around a lot or have time to attend a lot of games. If when the newness wears off those upfront seats are empty it wouldn't look good at all.

[KJW]

It's great that tickets are selling so well but I hope the buyers are going to actually show up for the games. I imagine some are being bought by holders that maynot be around a lot or have time to attend a lot of games. If when the newness wears off those upfront seats are empty it wouldn't look good at all.

[zman9810]

Don't kid yourself, zman.

A lot of folks around here are going to be very happy to have a genuine (not perceived as fly-by-night) pro sporting event to attend besides Razorback games (nothing against the Razorbacks).

[edensfall]

I went into the main office yesterday in Springdale just to see if any new merch had come in since I was last there around a month or so. I was really impressed with all of the new merchandise they had for sale, pretty much anything thing you could think of that had to do with Baseball. Also, they finally got in the New Era 59/Fifty hats. I bought a home game hat and love it! New Era switched the material this past summer so they're more comfortable to wear. We are also the only Minor League Team to have the New Era hats. I made some small talk with the guy workin the desk and found out that several of the office personel had transferred with the team to Springdale, and he also told me that they were finishing up on laying the sod as of yesterday. He said we should expect to see a picture in the paper soon.

[Mith242]

I think at the beginning there won't be too many problems with people just holding the tickets. I do think there's a lot more interest in this compared to some of the other minor sports. It's obvious this is a quality organization compared to all the other 'small league' sports that have popped up.

[Tac478]

All of the quarries in NW Arkansas are limestone quarries. My guess as to why they are going to DFW to for the bricks are that they are already making them. It probably wasn't profitable to set up a plant to make the bricks for one project.

Chris

[Mith242]

All of the quarries in NW Arkansas are limestone quarries. My guess as to why they are going to DFW to for the bricks are that they are already making them. It probably wasn't profitable to set up a plant to make the bricks for one project.

Chris

[zman9810]

Well....at least they are using real stone and not putting up a concrete block wall and sticking that fake stone facade on it. I don't care how they do it- that stuff always looks like what it is- fake. Or at least what I've seen of it does.

[Mith242]

Well....at least they are using real stone and not putting up a concrete block wall and sticking that fake stone facade on it. I don't care how they do it- that stuff always looks like what it is- fake. Or at least what I've seen of it does.

[masons_dad1]

Well....at least they are using real stone and not putting up a concrete block wall and sticking that fake stone facade on it. I don't care how they do it- that stuff always looks like what it is- fake. Or at least what I've seen of it does.