The Asheville Tourists are rounding third on a funding deal to stay in town after the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners agreed March 21 to pitch in up to $5 million over 20 years for upgrades to city-owned McCormick Field.
Tag: mccormick field
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McCormick Field funding approaches Buncombe vote
Now that the city of Asheville has agreed to play ball, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will consider joining the financial team for improvements to the home of the Asheville Tourists. The board meets Tuesday, March 21, to consider pitching in $250,000 annually over a 20-year period — a total commitment of $5 million […]
Council approves up to $20M for McCormick Field
Attendees at baseball games may pick up part of the tab for the McCormick Field improvements through a new 50-cent “facility fee” to be added to each ticket.
Letter: Just say no to spending millions on McCormick Field
“And they ‘want,’ they ‘like’ the Tourists. So do we, but City Council and the city manager are making a huge mistake paying this unreasonable price to keep them.”
Asheville Council to consider up to $20M for McCormick Field improvements
McCormick Field has been home to a minor league baseball team for each of the past 64 years. The current Tourists franchise brings in roughly $9.8 million in local spending annually for Buncombe County.
Local governments home in on McCormick Field deal
Financing begins to come together to shore up McCormick Field in order to meet MLB standards.
Safety, transit concerns raised at first Asheville budget meeting
Tom Tesser was one of several commenters from the Asheville Coalition for Public Safety, a recently formed advocacy group that looks to build support for the APD. Five of the nine speakers on budget matters sought larger salaries for police officers and shared their personal experiences of downtown crime and safety issues.
Letter: Tourists should find other funding
“I much regret the current trend for municipalities to pay for fancy stadiums on behalf of professional sports teams.”
Asheville considers $4M for I-26 Connector aesthetics
This new funding, to be voted on by City Council during the regular meeting of Tuesday, Feb. 14, would come on top of more than $1.4 million the city has already budgeted for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure along the I-26 corridor.
Letter: Build a new stadium with better parking
“For that much money, they should just build a new stadium in a part of town with better parking where they want more people to go.”
Letter: TDA should pay for McCormick Field upgrades
“The Tourism Development Authority is the party that needs to pony up the money!”
Letter: Please keep Tourists baseball in Asheville!
“I can’t even get my head around $30 million or how we can find a way to get it, but I’m pretty sure there’s enough people with that kind of money to preserve our honored tradition in our wonderful city!”
Buncombe sets goals for state lobbyists
Buncombe first hired Ward and Smith last May, agreeing to pay the firm $72,000 annually to advocate for the county’s interests at the state legislature. A Jan. 30 gathering at the DoubleTree hotel in Biltmore Village marked the first extended public discussion of the lobbyists’ work since that contract was inked.
Council to consider reparations commission audit request Jan. 24
The reparations commission unanimously approved a recommendation for the city of Asheville and Buncombe County to “stop further harm” to the Black community by “ceasing the repetition of institutional processes that lead to racially disparate outcomes.” The audit is meant to ensure that such harms have actually ceased and that local governments are in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Letter: Dreaming small at McCormick Field
“I don’t want to get all Field of Dreams on people’s asses, but we need not even build anything new or flashy to get the people to come.”
Revisiting Asheville’s Black baseball history
For a few years in the 1940s, Asheville was home to one of the top Black professional baseball teams in the South. Here’s the story of the Asheville Blues.
Council to hear climate justice update
The work was launched in response to Asheville’s passage of a climate emergency resolution in January 2020, which committed the city to “an equitable and just citywide mobilization effort to reverse global warming” and set 2030 as a target for eliminating all greenhouse gas emissions within city limits.
Asheville Tourists players pursue big league dreams in offseason
As players count the days until Feb. 14 — the day pitchers and catchers report to spring training — Xpress spoke with two Tourists from the 2021 season about their time in Asheville, their plans for the winter months and how the minor league experience isn’t as glamorous as it may seem.
Food Court: Introducing Kay West’s occasional column on the local culinary scene
Though my friends and family were taken aback when I suddenly — to them — decided to leave Nashville, they were delighted at my destination. “Asheville? I love Asheville!”
Asheville Tourists give fans missing baseball a taste of the game
Pop-up concessions events at McCormick Field serve ballpark favorites such as the Tourists Dog, chili cheese dogs, bratwurst, soft serve ice cream and, because it’s Asheville, craft beer.
No room for the inn: The Gospel According to Jerry
“The city allowed the builder to go through all the expensive steps required to get total approval from all regulatory agencies, and then several Council members announced their intent to vote against it because, in their great wisdom, they have made the arbitrary decision that Asheville already has too many hotels.”