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AA St. Paul Saints

Regional Ballpark Initiative Included in Governors Bonding Bill

January 17, 2012 - American Association (AA)
St. Paul Saints News Release


ST. PAUL, MN (January 17, 2012) - It's early in the ballgame, but the St. Paul Saints received some good news on Tuesday when Governor Dayton announced that the Regional Ballpark in Lowertown was included in his proposed 2012 state bonding bill.

The new Regional Ballpark would be located between the Farmers' Market and the Lafayette Bridge. The city of St. Paul's commitment is to assemble the land and clean up a polluted former industrial site, the Saints committing $10 million and the state of Minnesota adding the additional $27 million.

"The Governor knows, that if we're included in the bonding bill, he's our starting centerfielder," said Saints President Mike Veeck. "Any arguments -

The publicly-owned ballpark would continue St. Paul's tradition as the region's home for amateur baseball. The Regional Ballpark will also be ADA compliant, making it more welcoming and accessible for all. In addition to hosting 50 Saints home games, an additional 130 youth and amateur events will take place at the Regional Ballpark, plus concerts and community events. The next step is consideration of the bonding bill by the Minnesota Legislature. For additional details, please see www.ballparkfansandfriends.com.

The Governor has stated on many occasions that his proposed bonding bill is designed to create jobs in Minnesota. It will provide $775 million for new investment in infrastructure, allowing primarily private-sector employers to put tens of thousands of Minnesotans back to work. The Regional Ballpark is expected to create 225 construction jobs as well as another 151 full-time and seasonal jobs. It will also further the vitality of downtown St. Paul by generating $10 million annually in increased economic activity, spurred by an estimated 400,000 visitors each year.

The Saints current home, Midway Stadium, was built in 1982, a full 11 seasons prior to the Saints opening day pitch in 1993 and was built with amateur baseball in mind. As the Saints get set to begin their 20th season in 2012 they continue to be one of the best drawing teams in Independent Baseball and are just 957 fans shy of the 5,000,000 mark. During the first 19 seasons the Saints have played to 98.03% capacity, including a record 9,381 on July 2, 2009, and on a handful of occasions during the season temporary seating is placed on the outfield warning track with an orange snow fence placed in front of the fans. While seating capacity has increased over the years, amenities such as restrooms and concession stands have stayed the same. There are three main concession stands and four main bathrooms, two men and two women, with approximately 10 porta potties.

The Saints begin their 20th season on Thursday, May 17 with a 7:05 p.m. game against the Gary SouthShore Railcats. Group tickets and specialty seating areas are on sale by contacting the Saints office at 651-644-6659 or visiting saintsbaseball.com. Single game tickets will go on sale in March.

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