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Players selected for spring sports 5A Region D Teams
Cardboard Boat Regatta returns July 21 to Aquia VOL. 30 | NUM. 19
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JULY 13, 2018
Supervisors press school board on school purchase, trailer placement TRACY BELL » BY tbell@insidenova.com
A young fan has a ball ready for a signature in this 2017 file photo.
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TALKING BASEBALL Fredericksburg agrees to start talks on new Potomac Nationals stadium
» BY EMILY SIDES
esides@insidenova.com
The Fredericksburg City Council gave unanimous support Tuesday to a preliminary deal to relocate the Potomac Nationals minor league baseball team to a new $35 million stadium in the city. The letter of intent with ball club owner Art Silber’s Potomac Baseball begins a four-month study period that the city will use to seek input from the community, with the target date for opening the new 5,000-seat stadium set for April 2020 at Celebrate Virginia South off Interstate 95 near Central Park.
Bill Freehling, the city’s director of economic development and tourism, said the study period will include a public hearing. “Over the next four months, there’s still a lot of work to be done, but tonight was a big step forward,” he said. The P-Nats, a high Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, announced the proposal June 26 to privately finance the construction of the $35 million stadium in Fredericksburg, 37 miles from the team’s current home at Pfitzner Stadium in central Prince William County. As a partner, Fredericksburg is expected to commit $1.05 million to the team for 30 years – covering about 40 percent of the financing for the park. The city would then be able to use the stadium for events for 183
days a year, or about half of the year. At-large council member Matt Kelly said the proposed stadium would be another amenity promoting the quality of life in Fredericksburg. Kelly said the city has projected that revenue generated by the stadium will help cover the cost of the city’s annual payment. The city projects $700,000 in tax revenue generated at the stadium and an additional $250,000 through the use of the stadium on non-game days. An affiliate of Silver Companies, the developer at Celebrate Virginia South, has agreed to contribute $100,000 per year. P-Nats owner Art Silber said after the meeting that he is “delighted” about the city council’s vote. BASEBALL» PAGE 3
The Stafford County Board of Supervisors is strongly encouraging the Stafford County School Board to rethink two recent votes regarding resources in North Stafford. The supervisors agreed Tuesday to draft a letter to school board members stressing that the possible purchase of Fredericksburg Christian School will be contingent on initiating an elementaryschool redistricting process. Stafford Supervisor Mark Dudenhefer, R-Garrisonville, admitted that redistricting schools isn’t a walk in the park. It’s the “hardest thing an elected official can do,” he said, “but that doesn’t absolve the schools from moving forward.” The closed FCS campus off Garrisonville Road has been the subject of discussions about purchase and renovation, and is part of a Capital Improvement Program rough plan approved last month. The most recent plan for the FCS building has been to use the space for Head Start students and preschoolers in a special education program. Using that building will free space in other schools that those students are currently using, according to discussion. That plan is still in the works, however, with a public hearing on funding the project still to come. The board discussed the imbalance among the county’s school populations, with some schools under capacity and others above. Supervisor SCHOOLS» PAGE 3
STAFFORD COUNTY SUN
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