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Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Boomer with Attitude / News Ditch the ballpark, give us the REAL park we voted for
Posted By John Grooms on Wed, Jul 13, 2011 at 3:21 PM
County commissioners gave the Charlotte Knights yet another breath of hope yesterday by giving the team more time to build the proposed minor-league ballpark in Third Ward. As of now, the team doesn’t even have financing arranged, much less having the ballpark “substantially complete” by this fall, as was originally planned. So, what happens when the Chamber & Co. can't get what they want on time? That's right, the time frame is stretched until they do get it, thanks to our corporate-owned local government. The new deal says the Knights must have financing in place by the end of June 2012, or the lease will be canceled.
Here’s a better idea: ditch the whole Knights-move-Uptown! charade, and give citizens what we voted for in that part of town — a real urban park, all 8 acres of it. Local media seems to have forgotten — or don’t care, or are too in thrall to the Chamber to dare mention it — that before the Uptown! suits came up with the complicated land-swap, scratch-my-back-and-I’ll-scratch-yours “deal” to get the Knights into Third Ward, voters approved, by a wide margin, using that space to give Charlotte a decent urban park, like a normal “world-class” city. It’s no secret that this city has less available green space per capita (outside the suburbs) than nearly any other city its size, so dumping plans for the big park was a huge deal, and not just for the Knights. Now, it's time to reverse that deal. Read all about the value of great urban parks for a city's soul here.
Look — since the Knights “deal” was proposed, the economy has hit the toilet, and public interest in the ballpark has waned. County Commission should stand on its own for a change, disregard the fond wishes and fantasies of the Uptown! suits, and do what’s right for the public. Screw the ballpark, and give us a real park!
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