Firm tours potential stadium locations for professional baseball in Macon
Representatives from a firm studying whether it's feasible for professional baseball to return to Macon received an upclose look Monday of some potential sites for a team to play.
B&D Venues toured Luther Williams Field and the site of the former Bibb Mill as they begin a feasibility study this week. B&D Venues, a speciality practice group of Washington D.C.-based Brailsford & Dunlavey, has been involved in several dozen ballpark projects across the country.
"I think we have some of the best in the business to evaluate Macon and its potential to have a viable baseball team here," Macon-Bibb County Mayor Robert Reichert said.
The firm will meet Tuesday with the Macon-Bibb County Commission during a workshop. In October, commissioners approved the $50,000 study that is expected to take about 10 weeks to complete.
B&D will be open to other potential stadium locations other than the ones visited Monday. This trip is an opportunity for Reichert to provide a "30,000-foot view" of Macon-Bibb, county spokesman Chris Floore said.
"It's not just showing them Luther Williams ballfield and Bibb Mill but also showing them the development of areas around downtown," he said.
The historic Luther Williams was the home of the Macon Braves, the last minor league baseball team to play in Macon. In 2002 the Atlanta Braves affiliate moved to a new stadium in Rome. Since then, Luther Williams Field has been home to several lower-tier baseball leagues and has hosted various events.
The 24-acres around the former Bibb Mill on Coliseum Drive also has been mentioned by Reichert as a potential mixed-use development that could house a stadium surrounded by small hotels and restaurants.
"Macon has always been the hub of central Georgia and a significant development is what we want to bring here," said Philip Potter, son-in-law of Earl Barrs, the owner of the former Bibb Mill site.
BLIGHT FUNDS FOR ARTS VILLAGE
A Macon-Bibb County Commission committee is expected to discuss Tuesday a resolution that would have $973,654 of blight bond funds used to restore the Clinton Street auditorium into a community center.
The proposal, sponsored by Commissioner Ed DeFore and Reichert, asks each of the nine commissioners to pitch in about $108,000 of blight bond funds to cover the renovations. An arts center at the former auditorium on the Bibb Mill site is part of a redevelopment plan to turn a portion of east Macon into an arts village.
DeFore said he grew up near the former Bibb Mill and thinks this project would be a step toward revitalizing the neighborhood.
"We've had a lot of good prominent people -- preachers, teachers, elected officials to come out from over there and have done an outstanding job for years," he said.
Each commissioner has $1 million to spend on various blight projects throughout Bibb County.
UPGRADES TO BUILDING
The commission's Operations and Finance Committee is expected to vote Tuesday on a proposal for $2 million in building upgrades as part of a 10-year lease extension for office space for state Secretary of State offices.
The rent from the lease would cover the cost for improvements to the 83,000-square-foot property at 237 Coliseum Drive, the resolution says.
"We would be primarily involved in handling the renovations of the facility, securing the funding and managing that project," said Alex Morrison, executive director of the Macon-Bibb County Urban Development Authority.
To contact writer Stanley Dunlap, call 744-4623 or find him on Twitter@stan_telegraph.
This story was originally published November 9, 2015 at 10:44 PM with the headline "Firm tours potential stadium locations for professional baseball in Macon ."