Build it and they will come …
Build it and they will come …Will the boys of summer be playing in Lone Tree?
By Patte Smith
The crack of a bat on a beautiful summer night as the runners round the bases and the fans go crazy… could this become a reality right here in our own backyard? Don’t get your hopes up yet, but a feasibility survey was completed this past January by the Coventry Development Corporation, the developer of Ridgegate, a 3,500 acre community south of Lincoln and encompassing both sides of I-25.
A link to the Coventry survey was sent out to several media outlets in the Denver-Metro area to get public response. “The feedback from the survey is very positive,” stated Steve Mulhern of Coventry Development. “We are studying the results that were gathered within a ten mile radius of the proposed stadium, and also the input from those that are outside the ten mile radius. The reaction has been encouraging and we are now moving to the next step which includes the financial aspects of this project.”
The proposed multi-purpose stadium in Lone tree could be home to a minor league baseball team. The stadium could also host special events such as soccer, football, concerts, community festivals and a winter snow park for outdoor activities such as skating and sledding.
Many residents seem very excited and in favor of the venue noted a Lone Tree official, but many aspects and questions have to be addressed in developing a stadium, and the actual business of baseball itself is complicated.
A timeline has been established to determine if the complex might become a reality. As the developers and the city of Lone Tree carefully move forward analyzing this proposed project, they are keeping in mind that it must be worthwhile and in the best interest for the surrounding area.
In the future, baseball might become part of the communities’ leisure time activities. Remember what the great Willie Stargell said: When they start the games, they don’t yell “Work ball.” They say, “Play ball.”
