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Peninsula Pilots outline stadium upgrades, marquee 2013 games and community programming
Summary
Peninsula Pilots operators told the council that recent improvements at War Memorial Stadium — new scoreboard, roofing and accessibility ramps — have helped attract events, and they promoted opening day and an All-Star weekend while projecting about 100,000 annual attendees.
Peninsula Pilots representatives told the Hampton council they have completed a series of safety and aesthetic upgrades at War Memorial Stadium and are planning a full slate of regional events for the 2013 season.
"We've replaced chain link fences with brick walls," said Henry Morgan, a representative of Community Baseball LLC doing business as the Peninsula Pilots, describing recent work that also includes a new scoreboard, a new roof and improvements to the press box and lighting. Morgan said the authority-appointed stadium management has addressed most safety issues surfaced in prior studies.
Hank Morgan, the team's field manager, highlighted upcoming marquee events, including a Team USA game on June 22 and the Coastal Plain League All-Star weekend on July 7-8, and invited council members to opening day. He provided the Pilots' 2013 usage estimates: "there will be 233 use days at the stadium. There'll be 353 games contested at War Memorial Stadium this year, and a 100,000, attendees and participants," he said.
The Pilots also described partnerships meant to deepen local ties — work with the Peninsula Fine Arts Center, the Hampton Museum and Riverside Health Systems — and plans to better display the ballpark's history. The presenters asked the council to consider a proclamation recognizing stadium contributors and invited officials to visit the field during the season.
The council recessed after the presentation and moved on to the public comment period.
