McFarland: WCBL's Regina Red Sox still hoping for new stadium
Photo: Saskatchewan Dugout Stories
*This article was originally published on Saskatchewan Dugout Stories on August 29. You can read it here.
August 31, 2024
By Joe McFarland
Saskatchewan Dugout Stories
If the Regina Red Sox had it their way, they would have been playing in a new baseball stadium yesterday.
Their current abode, Currie Field, is more than 60 years old and in need of major upgrades and repairs – ranging from only having one dressing room, a backstop that is held together with zip-ties and washroom facilities which operate off a septic tank system that can’t keep up with park usage.
Since 2021, the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) team has pitched different ideas to Regina city council in hopes of getting approval for a new stadium.
Their latest offering, a cost-sharing study with the city on potential funding through sponsorships and philanthropic funds, has been given the green light.
If the report, which is to be done by DCG Philanthropic Services (DCG), shows they can raise $5 million or more, the city will commit half of that to the project over a period of 10 years.
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Listen to Alberta Dugout Stories interview Regina Red Sox vice-president Al Simpson here.
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“We are relying on their expertise on this and we pegged $5 million or greater as the number we would like to achieve,” Red Sox vice president Al Simpson said during the WCBL All-Star Game broadcast on July 20. “We’re very hopeful and we will work hard to get there.”
While the latest plan has some nuances, Simpson says the team believes a new ballpark can be a major catalyst for growth and community connection when it’s built.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
The first major proposal for a new baseball stadium in Regina came to city council in the spring of 2021.
The Red Sox, along with Living Sky Sports, asked the city to sign a letter of intent to pursue development of a 3,500-seat facility to be built in the railyards area along Dewdney Avenue.
At the time, the team said the project would cost somewhere between $20 and $25 million.
Council rejected supporting a $100,000 study, instead opting to look into a needs assessment.
In 2022, a study done by Regina Exhibition Association Limited (REAL) found Currie Field was no longer rated a Class-1 facility in Canada, meaning it was missing out on large-scale baseball events.
The study, which focused on a new entertainment district, also found a need for more artificial diamonds, saying they fare better than grass fields in four-season climates like Regina.
However, council decided a new stadium wasn’t a “catalyst project” due to the seasonal nature of the space.
While council mulled over its options for reshaping the downtown core, another location option was identified for a new ballpark.
The site of Taylor Field, the former home of the Saskatchewan Roughriders which was demolished in 2017, is thought of as a key piece of the revitalization discussions.
Simpson says it, along with Dewdney Avenue, are the only two options being stipulated in their latest notice of motion.
“We think there’s a bigger bang for money spent being on the railyards, given that Dewdney Avenue is already a bit of an entertainment strip.”
“That being said, the Taylor Field site would certainly be something we would be happy with,” he said.
SHOW ME THE MONEY
Before they can get into the specifics of location or even what the stadium will look like, Simpson says they have to come up with the money first.
While DCG is being tasked with determining the potential fundraising dollar figure, he says the Red Sox have already had conversations about what it could be.
“They gave us a letter of opinion that it was their view that they thought they should be able to raise anywhere between $4 million and $8 million philanthropically for a new ballpark at the railyards,” he said.
Regina Mayor Sandra Masters told reporters earlier this month that the study should be done by September.
However, a municipal election is coming in November, meaning the incoming council will be the first to deliberate the study’s merits.
“When there is a possibility of partnership for things that we know are aged and at end of life, or close to end of life … we [should] seize those opportunities and move them forward in the best, most responsible way we can,” Masters told CBC News.
The most-recent decision by council also opened the door for a long-term lease agreement with the Red Sox for Currie Field.
Should a new stadium be approved, the lease would be terminated without penalty while the team would be reimbursed for any capital costs required for upgrades to the decades-old diamond.
Given that the Red Sox already have concept drawings done for a new facility, Simpson says they will be able to move onto more permanent and functional designs once all funding expectations and approvals are in place.
After that, he believes it wouldn’t take long for fans to see things start to take shape.
“I think you probably have the rest of 2024 for fundraising, some of 2024 to get your work done and excavation – the construction season can be quite short in Saskatchewan,” Simpson said.
“I think if we’re playing baseball in a new venue in Regina in May 2027, that would be outstanding.”
He adds a new facility would also serve the community for other levels of baseball and events.