By Emma Ritch, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, S.C. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Oct. 20--Myrtle Beach's chances for the $23 million Cal Ripken baseball complex now are hinging on whether the city, county and state will help fund infrastructure such as access roads and stormwater management.
Developers are asking for $2 million to $3 million jointly from the Myrtle Beach City Council, Horry County Council and S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.
City Council members are mulling a proposal that asks the city for about $1 million toward the complex. They will discuss the contribution, as well as other sports marketing proposals, at Thursday's workshop and could vote as soon as next week to support it.
Several other cities are vying for the complex and are willing to provide public infastructure, said Pat Dowling of Burroughs & Chapin Co. Inc., which owns the land for the proposed site.
The complex would attract 800 teams during the 11-week summer season, as well as additional visitors in the spring and fall, said Rob Weinhold, general manager of Ripken Baseball's Camps and Clinics Division. Weinhold could not discuss specifics of the other possible sites because of company policies.
The million-dollar request is by no means definite, said city spokesman Mark Kruea. There are no specific plans yet for where the money would come from, but it could be taken from money the city already has allocated for public infrastructure.
'If council wishes to go forward with this idea, some where in the neighborhood of $500,000 is what we're looking at,' Kruea said.
The government contributions could pay for roads that give access to the complex and water, sewer and stormwater management, Weinhold said.
The 50-acre complex would be ready by 2006 with nine baseball fields for youth tournaments. Later phases would add 35 acres and three baseball fields. Player dormitories, soccer fields and cafeterias also are possible.
Council members were supportive of the idea at a recent workshop and said it could be a boon to tourism because of the visiting parents and players.
'We're counting on the fact that they'll like what they see and they'll come back,' Councilwoman Judy Rodman said.
The only other Cal Ripken complex is in Aberdeen, Md., which is used as a training and tournament facility. Weinhold said the Aberdeen project funding was divided evenly among the local government, the state and developers.
Officials say the park would be located at 10th Avenue North Extension and U.S. 17 Bypass on land that would have to be annexed into the city.
Rodman said she liked the shared use of player dormitories, a cafeteria and youth parks.
'We have long looked at a complex like this,' she said.
The council members will consider the proposal after they hear an update of the city's sports marketing program in an effort to under stand how this complex would fit. The city has, in the past, held an archery tournament, a dog agility competition and softball tournaments to increase tourism.
To see more of The Sun News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.MyrtleBeachOnline.com
(c) 2004, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, S.C. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.
