Study says Macon can support baseball team, but how will officials proceed?

Macon-Bibb County can support another professional baseball team, a just-concluded study shows, but questions remain on how officials will proceed.

On Tuesday, the Macon-Bibb County Commission is scheduled to hear details of a nearly three-month study that examined the potential for minor league baseball returning to town.

Commissioners approved the $50,000 study by the Washington, D.C.-based B&D Venues in October. It looked at areas ranging from attendance and revenue projections to prospective sites.

Macon is a good location for baseball, but it will be up to county officials whether they want to proceed with trying to attract a franchise, said Bill Mykins, vice president of B&D Venues.

"(Macon) is a good market," he said. "It's feasible. It's going to be up the mayor and commissioners to decide how to move forward with this."

Mayor Robert Reichert and his administration have received updates about the study, but had not seen the final report as of late last week, Macon-Bibb spokesman Chris Floore said.

B&D Venues has been "pretty clear that it's a complex decision based around attendance projections, location, what is built and, of course, whether or not there is interest by a team to come to Macon-Bibb," he said in an email. "We're looking forward to learning more about those scenarios and the numbers behind them."

If the County Commission decides to look further into the prospect, an important factor would be how attractive a team finds Macon.

"The level of interest we receive would help determine whether this is a path we want to take," he said.

Commissioner Al Tillman said if baseball does return to Macon, a key to success would involve being creative in making the games a communal experience.

"I've heard about teams having a losing record, but it was the excitement of what was happening around the team and going to the stadium and interacting with the community and having a good time," he said.

DYNAMICS AT PLAY

There have been other studies over the years to gauge how well facilities would fare in Macon.

In the 1990s, one study said the Georgia Music Hall of Fame should be able to draw 130,000 to 150,000 paid visitors a year, which would be enough for the museum to break even. However, those numbers were grossly overestimated, as the museum never attracted more than 33,000 visitors in a single year.

It closed in 2011, and Mercer University's medical school now provides health care in the 43,000-square-foot building.

But there are different dynamics involved in a museum compared to a baseball stadium, which is more apt to draw people who live within a short driving distance of the locale.

Mykins said there's another difference in the two. B&D Venues has been involved in more than 50 baseball stadium projects and has the ability to scout potential interest from the owners of baseball teams.

"The difference as I would see it, at least from a minor league baseball standpoint, there is a track record of performance of minor league baseball in comparable cities," he said. "It's fairly easy to draw comparable analysis."

Floore said a baseball stadium would also be able to host different events beyond games.

"Looking at the history of baseball, though, our community has supported teams in the past," he said. "The Braves were well attended, and the Macon Music were doing well for their time here."

The Macon Braves' attendance averaged several thousand per game before dropping to about 1,800 fans during the team's final season in the city. The following year, an independent league team failed to attract close to as many fans at its games.

The funding of a playing site, whether through renovations of Luther Williams Field or construction of a new one, could also be a point of contention.

Some cities have used bonds to cover the costs, some have shared expenses with the teams, and in some cases teams took on the bulk of the costs.

The impact on taxpayers and the county's coffers would likely generate lively discussions among commissioners. Even financing the study itself drew clashes, with four commissioners voting against spending the $50,000. Some of them also questioned investing millions in a ballpark when there are other pressing issues facing Macon.

One of the key questions will be how well the venue is able to make money, Mykins said.

"In minor league baseball, they vary in their financial performance," he said. "Some generate revenue, some break even, some require subsidy."

In early November, the company toured multiple potential locations for a stadium, including the former Bibb Mill site in east Macon, land around Sardis Church Road off Interstate 75 and Luther Williams Field in Central City Park.

Reichert has mentioned the 24 acres around the former mill on Coliseum Drive as a potential mixed-use development site that could have a stadium surrounded by small hotels and restaurants.

Much of Macon's baseball history has taken place at the historic Luther Williams Field, which was been home to teams dating back to the late 1920s. Minor league teams, including those affiliated with the Reds, Braves, Pirates and Cardinals, have played there over the years.

Baseball movies also have been shot there, from "The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings" in 1976 to, more recently, "42" and "Trouble with the Curve."

Future major league stars from Pete Rose to Chipper Jones played there in their youth.

It was the field where the last minor league baseball team, the Macon Braves, played until 2002, when the Atlanta Braves affiliate moved to a new $15 million stadium in Rome. Since then, Luther Williams has been home to several lower-tier baseball leagues and has hosted various events.

The B&D Venues report analyzed the various sites to see if there is enough space for a stadium, how far fans would be willing to drive to games, and the potential for other development.

Mykins said he would recommend that Macon-Bibb officials visit other cities that have minor league ballparks.

"One of the things we heard is it could be a catalyst for ancillary development," he said. "That was one of the criteria used in site development. You'd look at the footprint (and ask), Do you have room to put the ballpark, (and) is there room on the site specific or adjacent property that would (allow) for a ballpark and housing and retail?"

Information from The Telegraph's archives was used in this report. To contact writer Stanley Dunlap, call 744-4623 or find him on Twitter@stan_telegraph.

This story was originally published February 20, 2016 at 1:12 PM with the headline "Study says Macon can support baseball team, but how will officials proceed? ."