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The Dash Downtown Ballpark


cityboi

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Actually thats difficult to say. New most recently built ballparks, NewBridge Bank Park and Durham Bulls Athletic Park are all just as nice in my opinion. All three are great ballparks that have slightly different architectural styles.

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Leave it to Winston...

If by some chance it were to miraculously happen, even a major turn-around (stadium finishes construction, stadium opens, team wins games, etc.) at this point would not save the public's opinion of this fiasco. The damage has been done. If any of us were hoping to change the opinions of the suburban, conservative Journal readers, forget it. From day one I have been skeptical of this ballpark. Back when it was a conceptual idea in the early '00's, I was being negative about this because of one thing, Billy Prim. This is a prime example of what happens when friends (or family) try to line each others pockets and apply the "good 'ole boy" method of developing. There are countless examples of this around town.

Despite my opinions on the team's owners and affairs (pun intended, read in between the lines...), I want to say that CJMW and 360 outdid themselves on this ballpark. I, personally, think this is one of the best structures to be built in Winston since the Wachovia Tower. Quality is top-notch and is a timeless design! Bravo Mike and Tom! :good:

Mayor Joines, I love 'ya, but you have an uphill battle waiting for you during your election...

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Mayor Joines, I love 'ya, but you have an uphill battle waiting for you during your election...

I was thinking the same thing. While the ballpark is fantastic and can only mean good things for Winston-Salem, the whole process of getting to this point will leave a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths.

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  • 2 weeks later...

This whole 'fiasco' is killing Winston-Salem's team. Attendance this year for the first 16 games was only 5,586 with a high of 737 on 4/25. This compares to last year when the attendance was 42,282 with a high of 8,132 for a Sat. night in May. Layoffs have been announced for the Dash office staff which was beefed up for the new ballpark.

If this keeps up, the stadium won't be built, and W-S won't have a team. I'm LIVID!!

Read about it here.

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To put it simply, I'm tired of this BS. I wish the White Sox would yank the franchise away from Prim and Co. and sell it to a group (I'm not familiar with how these operate so my statements may seem a bit ignorant) who has vision and passion. Some of downtown's wealthy movers and shakers come to mind automatically...

Once this happens, Mandalay needs to be canned and hire someone new to manage things. Forget "The Dash" and create a unique name and branding campaign that appeals to families from around the region, but also is hip enough for young, urban professionals. I believe the key to making whatever is left of this team a success is creating community ties. This team needs a fresh start and has to get rid of anything from this unfortunate incident. First impressions are everything and even if the stadium opens, everyone will remember the drama associated with this cluster****.

Or, you could just lure a team from outside the area to come here. A new stadium is a great bargaining chip...

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let's be honest. No one goes to minor league baseball games to watch the game themselves. You go to hang out with friends and family, enjoy the summer weather, and drink overpriced beer from plastic cups. It's the American way.

This whole situation is unfortunate. It's especially unfortunate that the Mayor and WS city council are taking heat for this mess, when by all accounts, it was the management and spats over ownership that caused the project to be delayed.

This should have been a shining example of how government can improve communities and create economic development. And yet...

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let's be honest. No one goes to minor league baseball games to watch the game themselves. You go to hang out with friends and family, enjoy the summer weather, and drink overpriced beer from plastic cups. It's the American way.

Well, you watch a bit of the game, when the announcer gets you too!

I agree, minor league baseball is a much more social event. However, I am surprised at the dramatic drop-off in support of the team. I feel residents are upset with Primm over his lack of 'transparency' over the matters involving restructuring ownership. He has been very quiet over the matter and all residents see is the stadium half-done with no activity. What concerns me, is as a business entity, the Dash will have a very poor recent financial record and will that hamper them lining up financing to finish this project when (and if) restructuring is done?

I do wish the White Sox would get involved, as mentioned above, and find new ownership. I'm not quite as upset with the Mayor and City Council as others are on this topic, however it is going to go against them in the next round of elections if the stadium doesn't progress and we lose our team.

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However, I am surprised at the dramatic drop-off in support of the team.

I can't say it really surprises me as I feel like we have an alien team of sorts. This new team has no connection to the community as there has not been an open-house of sorts or radio and television re-branding campaign. I believe Greensboro did that and still continues to. Most people are not going to purchase tickets for a team they don't know anything about. Perhaps, this could have been a chance to get Winston-Salem residents familiar with the new team during the current turmoil and take the heat off of the ownership problems. But, that too has been botched...

I don't blame the mayor or city council at all for this. I do believe they should've done due diligence on Prim, but I'm thankful they gave themselves a way out in case things went south. It irritates me to read the comments on the Journal, because it is not as if the city could have foreseen this mess.

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It irritates me to read the comments on the Journal, because it is not as if the city could have foreseen this mess.

If you notice, there is a core group of people who are the main posters at Journalnow.com, and most are 100% against the ball park. If W-S was run by those folk, we'd be in the middle ages here...

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If you notice, there is a core group of people who are the main posters at Journalnow.com, and most are 100% against the ball park. If W-S was run by those folk, we'd be in the middle ages here...

Every city has them, those folks that are so vociferous in their own opinions that everyone else is always wrong. I would gather that most of the Journal's commentators are those that believe government has no place in the private sector; they scowl at the thought of economic incentives.

But they shouldn't be angry with the Mayor or the city. Jersey's right that the city smartly put a claw-back provision in it's contract with Primm.

I have a feeling that if the city hadn't stepped up to the plate, we wouldn't even be talking about this because there would be no new stadium.

The debate about the Dash and the stadium is a microcosm of a larger debate on the role of local government in our cities. I think our local governments should be partners...working with private businesses to create economic and cultural opportunities. And I believe that as long as every other city in the nation is doing it, the Triad communities should continue to evaluate, and if necessary, use economic incentives to bring jobs here. But please do it smartly; HondaJet is a good example.

That said, I firmly believe that beyond incentives and government assistance, the best way to attract new industries and jobs to our area is creating communities and neighborhoods that are safe, culturally vibrant, and provide a superior quality of life.

This stadium helps to do that in its own way.

Ugh...I kind of got off topic. Oh well.

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It is going to be a really nice stadium. In some ways I think it looks more impressive than First Horizon. When all the crap gets sorted out it will be completed. Once it is completed the fans will come.

The Hoppers need to be thinking of the future. They have had great success with the new stadium however at some point the excitement could start to wane. I think they should continue to reinvest into the park to keep excitement up.

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It is going to be a really nice stadium. In some ways I think it looks more impressive than First Horizon. When all the crap gets sorted out it will be completed. Once it is completed the fans will come.

The Hoppers need to be thinking of the future. They have had great success with the new stadium however at some point the excitement could start to wane. I think they should continue to reinvest into the park to keep excitement up.

part of that means redevelopment directly around the ballpark itself. I think the old Chevrolet garage lot next to the stadium would be a good fit for midrise office/residential and a restaurant overlooking left field. I agree you have to keep the excitement level up and gimicks wont do the trick. Without a doubt the opening of the ballpark in Winston will have a slight effect on NewBridge Bank Park because that sure is a nice ballpark thats going up in Winston. Many people in Greensboro will attend the games in Winston out of curiosity.

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I agree. I watched the ACC baseball tournament this week in Durham and the Bulls park has some nice features which could work well at First Horizon. I hope within the next couple years development can begin around the park. A 4 or 5 story building sure would be nice to see rising just beyond the left field wall.

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