An open house will be held at Leibel Field Wednesday night, for those wanting to know more about the proposed 3,500 seat ballpark the Regina Red Sox and Living Sky Sports and Entertainment are trying to get built.
A concept plan was unveiled this past April, that would see the facility constructed at the former Canadian Pacific Railyards along Dewdney Avenue, north of downtown, an area that has sat empty and unused for years.
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Regina Red Sox President Gary Brotzel was on the SportsCage Tuesday afternoon, and said the open house will also help them clear up some of the misinformation floating around.
“Regarding costing and what it would cost taxpayers and this type of thing, so we just wanted to open our doors for a few hours, have a few refreshments and get to see some of our fans that we haven’t seen for a couple of years now, and just get everybody together again and answer some questions,” Brotzel said.
The Red Sox expect the project to cost between $20-million and $25-million.
The team would contribute about $5-million towards the project, the rest would come from the City or other funds accessible by the City of Regina.
Aside from baseball, Brotzel said the facility would be one that could be used for smaller venue concerts and other events when the team is on the road or during the offseason, which includes warmer months like April, May and September.
However he also feels setting an example by building a state of the art facility for Regina’s WCBL team, would motivate other Saskatchewan teams to try and do the same.
“There’s eight stadiums this size in Alberta right now, if you include Spruce Grove,” Brotzel said. “Saskatchewan has none, so we’re falling behind and we need to catch up, this would be a great start,” he said.
The Red Sox currently play at the aging Currie Field, a facility that has been used for more than 60 years, and according to Brotzel a facility that isn’t able to properly accommodate four figure crowds, something the team has experienced many times in seasons gone by.
The open house will run from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m..
