In unanimous decision, the Colonial Heights City Council approves lease to bring Coastal Plain League team to Shepherd Stadium
COLONIAL HEIGHTS — The Colonial Heights City Council unanimously voted to approve a lease agreement between the City and the Collegiate Baseball Experience ownership group, headed up by Chris Martin of RISE Baseball, that will officially allow a Coastal Plain League baseball team to call Shepherd Stadium home for the the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons.
“Mr. Martin, play ball,” said Mayor T. Gregory Kochuba in the moments immediately following the unanimous vote of approval.
The decision was made during a special meeting of the City Council, in which the baseball team was the only issue up for discussion. The meeting was relatively short and to the point, wrapping up in under 30 minutes, and was the culmination of many months of planning and negotiations between city officials and Martin’s organization.
“I thought it went great,” Martin said of the vote. “I’m obviously really excited to work with the city from here on out.”
Colonial Heights Director of Recreation and Parks Craig Skalak was heavily involved in the planning and discussions, and was present at the meeting to provide context on the lease agreement to councilors prior to the vote.
“It couldn’t have gone any better,” Skalak said. “We’re very excited about it. Can’t wait to get into a strong working relationship with this franchise.”
The vote approved a lease for the team to play at Shepherd Stadium, the details of which were released last week. The city will pay to make several stadium improvements to Shepherd, totaling $128,000, including $10,000 for contingency. The team will, in turn, pay the city $11,000 in rent for the first year of the lease, and then $25,000 for the second and third years. The team plays 26 regular season games at the stadium, plus any potential playoff games, and will also have the right to host five “special events.”
Mayor Kochuba said bringing the team to Colonial Heights was “great for the city and the Tri-Cities area” and he believes that it will have a positive economic impact.
“It’s just exciting,” he said. “Again, small-town community — that’s what Colonial Heights tries to strive for. This fits right into that.”
By Jeff Milby, Progress-Index Staff
Jeff Milby can be reached at jmilby@progress-index.com or 804-722-5151. Follow him on twitter @JeffMilby.