Stop Leland Stadium at Jackeys Creek

01/03/2024

The Kinston Stadium: A Model for Leland to Follow?

A recent Port City Daily news article, Future of Leland baseball stadium proposal uncertain as petition passes 2,100 signatures, contained the following observation from Leland Councilwoman Veronica Carter:

"Carter argued studies finding stadiums to be a poor public investment should not lead to blanket dismissal of similar projects. She cited Kinston, North Carolina’s baseball stadium as an example of how a similar venue in Leland could succeed."

Let's take a look at the Kinston Stadium.

Grainger Stadium was built in 1949 at a construction cost of $170,000. Bonds were issued for $150,000 of the cost. The stadium is owned by the City of Kinston and leased by the team.

Since construction, there have been at least two infusions of tax dollars for upgrades to the stadium: $75,000 from the Kinston-Lenoir County Tourism Development and $175,000 from the City of Kinston. Both of these infusions went towards a new scoreboard and video board. There have been other upgrades to the stadium, but it is unclear at this point how they were paid for.

The population of Kinston is roughly 19,000--not enough to keep the stadium afloat. The stadium has been kept alive by Cam McRae, a major Bojangles franchisee.

The Down East Wood Ducks, owned by the Texas Rangers, had their inaugural season at Grainger Stadium in 2017. In May of 2023, the Texas Rangers sold the Wood Ducks to Diamond Baseball Holdings, and the Wood Ducks will be moving to a shiny new stadium in Spartanburg, SC.

According to Kevin Reichard in Ballpark Digest, the future of baseball in Kinston is cloudy. In order to attract a professional baseball team, Grainger Stadium would have to meet MLB's new stadium requirements set to go into effect in 2025. "To meet the new standards would require a boatload of money for a ballpark with some serious physical challenges, such as a location in a flood plain," Reichard stated.

Without a "boatload of money," Kinston will be unable to host a professional baseball team. A summer-collegiate Appalachian League team is under consideration.

At this point, the City of Kinston is the proud owner of an "economically obsolete and physically challenged" ballpark and has no hope of attracting a professional baseball team.

Is this the future that Councilwoman Carter envisions for Leland?

https://ballparkdigest.com/2023/06/02/with-loss-of-wood-ducks-kinstons-baseball-future-cloudy/

12/27/2023

In Search of More Signature for Our Petition

I just spoke with a friend of mine who lives in Magnolia Greens. She recently attended a party where she met a man who lives in Brunswick Forest.

The man was very upset about the stadium proposal, and guess what?

He had never heard about our petition!

It just shows that there are many, many Leland residents opposed to this proposal who have not been reached.

We have 2126 signatures. Let's push it to the next level and get 2500. We can do it.

Tell everybody you know. Sign and share.

https://chng.it/6GSpHvwk9c

12/05/2023

Town Council Meeting December 14: Make your voices heard

The next Town Council meeting is Thursday, December 14 at 6:00 p.m. at Town Hall.

We had an incredible turnout on October 19. The Council was shocked.

Let's keep the pressure on until the Town Council abandons this dreadful Jackeys Creek Stadium proposal.

Please come early and sign in to speak during the public portion. It doesn't matter if you have spoken before.

And please wear a white shirt, a white bandana, or a white hat. We want the Council to look out and see a sea of white so they can see how strongly Leland residents oppose this terrible plan.

If you haven't already emailed the Town Council with your objections, please so so.

If you haven't already signed our petition, please sign and share. We currently have 1914 signatures, and we'd like to reach 2000 before the Town Hall meeting. https://chng.it/6GSpHvwk9c

If you would like to join our email blast list for stadium proposal updates, please PM me with your email address.

I know this is a busy time of year, but please take the time to attend. Remember, we are fighting for our homes, for our community, and for our rights as taxpayers not to be robbed for the further enrichment of billionaires.

11/30/2023

Election results vs. Petition

Here are the vote tallies for Mayor and Town Council Members of Leland:

2023 Election results
Brenda Bozeman - 2,241
Veronica A. Carter - 2,110
Bob Campbell - 1,979

2021 Election results
Richard Holloman - 1,889
Bill McHugh - 1,846

Here is the number of signatures on our Stop Leland Baseball Stadium petition as of Nov 29 at 9:16 p.m.:

1808 signatures

Let's keep pushing our petition. Pretty soon we'll have more people signing our petition than any of the TOL officials received votes from.

https://chng.it/6GSpHvwk9c

11/28/2023

2023 election results and the lack of public support for REV Entertainment proposal

2023 Leland election results ("2023 Brunswick County Election Results," https://www.starnewsonline.com/elections/results/local/2023-11-07/37019/)
* Brenda Bozeman 2,217
* Veronica Carter 2,088
* Bob Campbell 1,957

The three ran unopposed. "Candidate filing for the 2023 municipal elections begins at noon today, Friday, July 7, and ends at noon Friday, July 21." ("Candidate Filing Begins Today for 2023 Municipal Elections," https://www.ncsbe.gov/news/press-releases/2023/07/07/candidate-filing-begins-today-2023-municipal-elections)

"Town spokesperson Jessica Jewell said it is expected to be finalized by early June, which will give a more clear picture of the financial scope." ("As Leland awaits feasibility study, early estimates exceed $115M for baseball stadium," https://portcitydaily.com/local-news/2023/05/25/as-leland-awaits-feasibility-study-early-estimates-exceed-115m-for-baseball-stadium/) Then, on October 17, 2023, there is this: "Feasibility study released for Leland $105.6 million baseball stadium site" at https://www.wwaytv3.com/feasibility-study-released-for-leland-105-6-million-baseball-stadium-site.

What happened to releasing the "feasibility study" on a timely schedule, in particular because the candidate filing window closed on July 21? The ONLY reason the three ran unopposed was because there was no animating issue to call forth other candidates, until they dropped the stadium bomb in the town council meeting on October 19.

Leland had 23,056 persons registered and eligible to vote in the 2023 election (https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/brunswickcountyboe/viz/RegistrationsbyPrecinctandParty/Dashboard). Bozeman, Carter, and Campbell won reelection with pluralities all well below 10% of the registered voters. That certainly does not constitute a mandate to agree to a public-private partnership of the magnitude under discussion with REV Entertainment.

As of today, November 28 (0800), the petition in favor of the stadium project has received 401 signatures (initiated: October 28, 2023; https://www.change.org/p/construct-a-baseball-stadium-in-leland-north-carolina); the petition against has received 1,745 (initiated: October 19, 2023; https://www.change.org/p/stop-leland-baseball-stadium-taxpayers-say-no). The total, 2,146, is the same order of magnitude as the numbers of votes cast for the three incumbents seeking reelection. Of those who have signed a petition, 81% are opposed and 19% are in favor.

Town of Leland knows full well that if the stadium proposal was put before the voters, it would fail.

What can you do?

If you are opposed to the proposal, please sign the petition against the Leland stadium proposal at https://www.change.org/p/stop-leland-baseball-stadium-taxpayers-say-no. In addition, make your opposition known to the mayor, the town council members, our state representative, our state senator, WMPO, and the Local Government Commission (contact information below). If you choose, you can speak out (https://www.townofleland.com/town-clerks-office/public-comment) at town council meetings (https://townofleland.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingSchedule.aspx).

If you choose to endorse the stadium proposal, you can sign the petition in favor at https://www.change.org/p/construct-a-baseball-stadium-in-leland-north-carolina.

Contacts
* Town of Leland: https://www.townofleland.com/mayor-town-council
* Economic and Community Development (Leland): Barnes Sutton, 910.756.5096, https://www.townofleland.com/economic-community-development
* Representative (General Assembly): Frank Iler, [email protected]
* Senator (General Assembly): Bill Rabon, [email protected]
* Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (WMPO): https://www.wmpo.org/contact/
* Local Government Commission: https://www.nctreasurer.com/divisions/state-and-local-government-finance/local-government-commission

11/28/2023

Meeting with Bob Campbell and Bill McHugh--No Fiscal Sense

(Emails to and from public officials are public record. We are sharing the following emails to and from Bob Campbell, Council Member, Town of Leland.)

Good afternoon, Bob,

Thank you for meeting with Candace and me. I was pleased that Bill McHugh and you listened to our concerns about the ballpark being proposed. After looking at this project from a business perspective, many of Leland’s citizens have concluded is not a viable business and will likely leave our citizens with a huge bill to pay due to the astronomical cost to build the stadium and unrealistic expectations about its subsequent usage. The Town of Leland cannot risk the taxpayers’ money on this business venture. All one needs to do is look at the existing stadiums in the area that should draw larger crowds than such a project in Leland; they are financial disasters.

I was surprised when you said that my suggestion that it be built elsewhere upset you. I brought this up only as an alternative to the proposed location if the Town decides to proceed despite the negative financial implications that so many citizens have already presented to the Town. Your response told me that you don’t fully understand one of the most pressing issues to the residents of Brunswick Forest, Magnolia Greens, and Waterford who will be directly impacted if a ballpark/event venue is built as proposed. We didn’t just buy a home: We moved into these developments because we wanted the lifestyle they offered. Many have spent much of their net worth to live in communities that offer workout amenities, golf, tennis, pickle ball, walking trails, light traffic, and easy access to Wilmington and its healthcare facilities. For many of us, choosing to live in these neighborhoods was a way to get away from noisy venues, excessive traffic delays, crime, and overcrowded health care facilities.

If REV rents the ballpark as it has said it will—and that’s a big “if”—the results will be loud noise from rock concerts, screaming fans during ball games, unreasonable traffic jams, huge alcohol consumption, more crime, additional automobile accidents, and major traffic delays. Imagine an accident outside the stadium on our already-overcrowded roads just before an event at 4:00 pm as cars try to gain entrance to the event and residents try to reach their homes.

As a businessperson and an investigative reporter who specializes in white-collar crime stories, I have to say that this project has many red flags. If the only known winners are the developer and stadium builder, and the only conceivable losers are Leland’s citizens, why are the concerned citizens of Leland still having to talk about this? When something makes absolutely no sense, one must ask, “What is really happening here?”

When do you anticipate a decision about this project?

Sincerely,
Chuck Whitlock

Mr. Campbell's reply:

Thank you for your comments Chuck. At this point I have no projected time line for any further action.

11/27/2023

Sign our Petition: Just Say No

The Stop Leland Baseball Stadium petition is riding a wave!

1720 Leland residents have signed.

REV Entertainment has planned a 365-day a week open-air entertainment venue right in our back yard and paid for by the Leland taxpayers.

Don't want deafening rock music, tractor pulls, carnivals, and oh yeah, an occasional baseball game complete with fireworks right next door? Don't want 3000-5000 cars lined up nearly every day when you're trying to get into your home? Don't want your taxes to go up?

Join your neighbors and sign our petition. Then share with everybody you know.

I know we can make it to 2000!

https://chng.it/6GSpHvwk9c

11/27/2023

The Golden Hour: Can your Life be Saved in Time?

"There is a golden hour between life and death. If you are critically injured you have less than 60 minutes to survive. You might not die right then; it may be three days or two weeks later--but something has happened in your body that is irreparable." --R. Adams Cowley, M.D. known as the Father of Trauma Medicine.

Roughly one week ago, a terrible accident occurred near the entrance of Brunswick Forest. A young man was in critical condition. Emergency personnel responded quickly and were able to transport the young man to NHRMC, a Level I Trauma Center.

The young man's father reports that he is now recovering well thanks to the rapid life-saving treatment he received. "A minute later and he might not be here right now!" the father declared.

All of us here in Leland know the challenges of reaching NHRMC quickly during a time of crisis. Heavy traffic and any difficulties with the bridge can mean delays which could be life threatening.

Imagine if you will a line of 3000-5000 cars between you and the life-saving treatment you need. Will you reach care within the Golden Hour?

What might have been the fate of this young man had there been such a line of cars between him and the rapid life-saving treatment he needed?

The current stadium proposal will result in a monumental obstacle between all residents of the northern portion of Brunswick County and life-saving treatment. With 6000 seats, there could be 3000-5000 cars lined up on Route 17 to enter stadium events. Those same cars would be dumped out onto Route 17 after the events conclude.

Any person on this side of the bridge who has a medical emergency during stadium events will likely NOT reach NRHMC within the Golden Hour.

This is not only a danger for victims of traumatic accidents, but for stroke victims and heart attack victims as well. They are subject to the Golden Hour too.

“Time saved is brain saved,” says Charlotte Colbert RN, who is the INTEGRIS Health stroke community educator. “Time lost is brain lost. That’s why recognizing the signs of stroke is so important. Immediately knowing what to do when someone is having a stroke can save someone’s life and help them avoid brain damage."

It is impossible to know how many lives might be lost if a stadium is built at the proposed location at Route 17. But it is obviously not a good idea to create a road block between an entire town and the only trauma center within 200 miles.

11/27/2023

Residents Defeated the Developers in Southern Brunswick County

Here's what happened when residents came together in Brunswick County to make their voices heard.

https://www.starnewsonline.com/story/news/local/2023/11/19/ashton-farms-planned-development-denied-in-brunswick-county/71509258007/

A massive housing development was proposed in rural Ash in Brunswick County. Residents immediately started a petition. They currently have 2171 signatures.

The residents have expressed their concerns: Overdevelopment, wildlife disruption, wetlands destroyed, increase of traffic, crowded schools, and more.

Because of the pressure from residents, the developer's proposal was denied by the County's Planning Board.

We can learn something from the residents of the South end of our county.

First, let's keep working on our petition. We currently have 1488 signatures. Let's get more! https://chng.it/6GSpHvwk9c

Second, let's start attending planning board meetings at the County and the Town of Leland. Let's make sure the Planning Board knows how unacceptable this stadium proposition with its attending 9950 units of high density housing is to the residents of Leland.

With an average of 2 people per unit, that's 19,900 people jammed into that small space. That one property could nearly double the population of Leland. And then add a stadium on top of that! Can our infrastructure really handle that?

At this point, the Jackeys Creek property is unincorporated land in Brunswick County. The developer has already requested that TOL annex the property. Brunswick County refused to finance the stadium, but TOL Council is dazzled by Pie-in-the-Sky promises from REV Entertainment.

The property is currently zoned for medium density housing, typically single-family detached homes and townhomes. In order to build a stadium and high-rise apartment buildings, the zoning would have to be changed.

The developer is offering land for a stadium as an incentive to get the zoning changed to high density housing. He will make MUCH more money with high density housing than single family homes.

Let's put the pressure on the Planning Board and the Zoning Board not to accept this proposal. We don't want a stadium, and we don't want high-rise apartment buildings.

The next Town of Leland Planning Board meeting is December 12. The next Town Council meeting is December 14. Both start at 6:00 p.m. The next Brunswick County Planning Board meeting is December 11 at 6:00 p.m.

We need to have a strong presence at these meetings. We need to sign up to speak. We CANNOT let the Jackeys Creek stadium proposal happen in our town.

11/27/2023

The Ol' Arena Flim Flam: Leland Residents Just Say No to Stadium

(Attention Lead: This is the first original post I have made on ANY topic since November 2. That's 14 days.)

A few days ago, I received a letter from a Wilmington dentist (name withheld to protect anonymity.) He had been following the story of the proposed stadium here in Leland. He sent me two newspaper articles about other stadiums and the bad deals they represent for taxpayers.

Here's one entitled A City Fights Back Against the Ol' Arena Film Flam.

https://www.twincities.com/2023/05/19/column-a-city-fights-back-against-the-ol-arena-flimflam/

Here are some highlights:

In a rare setback for billionaire owners and their ENDLESS SCAMS to get the public to build them new places to play, the Phoenix suburb decisively turned back a $2.3 billion proposal that included a new arena for the Arizona Coyotes.

“The voters seem to understand, deep down, that these things are a bad idea,” said J.C. Bradbury, an economics professor at Kennesaw State University in suburban Atlanta and vocal critic of publicly funded stadiums and arenas.

“Why are we subsidizing sports teams, no matter how much they claim it’s going to spur economic development?” he asked. “It’s like an extended warranty. Once you read the fine print, you don’t want to do it.”

Most (owners) have recognized that you can’t put these matters before the voters. Too much risk there...It’s much better to woo the local politicians, get them on board, rather than allow those whose money is actually being spent make the call.

“There’s a reason the owners don’t like to go to the voters. The voters are suspicious,” Bradbury said. “But if you look at most city council members, THEY'RE EASY MARKS. They’re mostly male, college educated, wealthy. We’re talking sports fans. You can invite them to cocktail receptions in their luxury suites to shake hands with hall of famers. It’s easier to convince these people. You can’t invite all the voters to the owner’s box.”

(If you recall, the Texas Rangers flew the Leland Town Council out to Texas to wine and dine them. Looks like it's a good strategy.)

“Why does this keep happening?” he (Bradbury) said. “It’s not even a debate. All of these are bad projects that the public shouldn’t be involved in whatsoever. Yet they keep passing over and over again. They keep saying this one will be different. But it’s the same old song and dance.”

The Braves were allowed to build a development known as The Battery, which is made up of restaurants, shops, hotels, apartments and office buildings.

Not surprisingly, all that additional revenue from non-baseball sources has made the team’s multi-billionaire corporate overlords at Liberty Media a whole lot richer.

(Sound familiar? It made the billionaires richer while it made the taxpayers poorer.)

“I’ve been to The Battery. It’s a nice place to go spend money and spend time,” he said. “But most of the people who go there live right here in Cobb County. Every dollar they spend at The Battery is money they would’ve been spending in other areas outside the stadium. So, when you go to (a restaurant) at The Battery, you’re not going to another restaurant here in Cobb. It’s not a net gain.”

(I wonder how local businesses like Locals Tavern and Brunswick Beer and Cider will feel when they see their business siphoned off to bars and restaurants in the stadium complex?)

Those are highlights from one of the articles the Wilmington dentist mailed to me. You can read the article itself for more details.

And if you want to stop "the ol' stadium film flam" from happening in Leland, please sign and share our petition. https://chng.it/6GSpHvwk9c

11/27/2023

It's ludicrous! Residents speak against the stadium on WWAY news

WWAY ran a great piece on TV about the Town Hall meeting last Thursday. I found it on youtube.

The piece features many of the residents who spoke against the stadium at the Town Hall Meeting.

Enjoy!

Many people in northern Brunswick County are not lookin to have a home team advantage when it comes to bringing a baseball stadium to the area.

11/27/2023

Stadium Failure: Myrtle Beach Pelicans

In 1999, The City of Myrtle Beach spent $10 million and Horry County spent $2 million to build the Pelicans stadium next to Broadway at the Beach.

The Texas Rangers agreed to have their farm team play at this stadium. Some years later, the Texas Rangers sold the franchise to the Chicago Cubs.

Currently, the team has demanded upgrades to meet MLB standards. The cost to Myrtle Beach and Horry County would be $58.7 million for those upgrades.

Horry County Councilman Mark Causey suggested they give the stadium to the Pelicans rather than invest additional funds. Horry County Councilman Gary Loftus said, "It's such a bad investment, the return is probably negative," and asked if they could sell their share for $1.00.

With a $12 million investment, a minor league team, and 13 million visitors per year at Broadway at the Beach next door, Myrtle Beach cannot make it work out financially. They want to get out from under the burden of this stadium so badly, they are willing to give it away.

But somehow Leland can make it work with a $105 million investment, an independent league, and nowhere near that number of visitors annually?