Ballpark in the News

Ed Smith Stadium and baseball in Sarasota are becoming more of a hot topic.

In this week's Pelican there is a story about what is under the field - a landfill and remains of an asphalt plant.

David Grimes paints a funny picture of the "concrete mausoleum" saying that:

Once inside the stadium, the city needs to grab the fan's attention so he or she does not stare at the hideous architecture and keel over in a coma. Almost everyone finds a trained seal on a unicycle to be a riveting sight. If trained seals are unavailable, we could use city commissioners.

Meanwhile Siesta Key business people along with the Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau indicate they think the majority (and maybe all) of any increased bed tax should be used to support tourism marketing.

A while back several city and county officials took a road trip to Clearwater to visit the "state of the art" ballpark there. This ballpark has been identified as the wish list model by the Reds organization. Pictures and a description of this facility can be found here.

And the pressure is on. The city and county have until Oct 1 to submit a plan for a new stadium if they wish to get the $15 million state grant for a new stadium.