Kathy Stewart, wtop.com
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The push is on to bring minor league baseball to the Fredericksburg area.
RBI, which in this case stands for the Rappahannock Baseball Initiative, is a grass roots organization hoping to develop a baseball stadium in the Fredericksburg area.
Bob Hagen, former president of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce and former chair of the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors, says he thinks they have a good chance of bringing a minor league team to the area.
“Well it is optimistic in no small part because of the response we’ve gotten from everybody we speak to about this.” says Hagen.
The stadium is expected to cost approximately $27 million and seat 5,500. But that price tag doesn’t include the land, which Hagen says could be donated.
“The next step along the process is to identify those businesses which might be willing to step forward and make a commitment so we can put shovels in the ground in 24 months,” says Hagen.
Even in this economy the baseball initiative is moving forward.
“In fact, in this economy it’s even better to try and get this construction done. A ballpark that would cost $25 or $26 million just a few years ago now could be built for $23 million.”
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