Stadium a boon for whole region

Friday, June 29, 2007

The arrival of minor league baseball in Waldorf will be nothing but good news as far as most people in Calvert County are concerned.

There’s no risk for us, even though costs for the 4,500-seat stadium have ballooned to $25.65 million. The costs will be divided three ways — among the Charles County government, the state government and the team’s owners, Opening Day Partners.

Opponents of the stadium all along have criticized the use of public funds to build the stadium. Taxpayers’ dollars can be better spent, they say, on schools and roads.

That debate is largely theoretical for those who live here. True enough, Calvert residents will contribute their share of the state’s tab, but that will be pocket change, shared as it is with millions of other taxpayers in Maryland.

The real risk is being borne by the team’s investors, and the taxpayers of Charles County. They’ll reap whatever financial rewards there may ultimately be.

Those of us from Calvert, though, can if we choose get the real benefit, spending a warm summer evening watching professional baseball at a price a family can afford.

From a Calvert countian’s viewpoint, the only thing that could make it better would be if the stadium were going to be in Hughesville instead of Waldorf.

That was the original plan, until Hughesville residents chased it away. Granted, it’s the residents of Hughesville who would have had to cope with the traffic from the stadium. But the stadium would have offered a great starting point for revitalization efforts in Hughesville. Besides offering a venue for minor league baseball, its design offers the opportunity for other sports such as lacrosse, soccer and football to be played there. Southern Maryland will have a large outdoor venue for concerts, plays, car shows, Scout jamborees and more.

Instead of hosting a stadium that would have generated some revenue for the town’s businesses, Hughesville has disappeared from the minds of most people in St. Mary’s, who drive around it without a second thought on the long-awaited Route 5 bypass.

Based in Hughesville, the baseball stadium would have been a true Southern Maryland draw, and a unifying force for the region. Perhaps it can still be that about 10 miles away in St. Charles on the southern edge of Waldorf. If the enthusiasm and excitement that was shown at last year’s Fan Fest is any indication, the concept of minor league baseball will be well received from all parts of the region.

After delays and wrangling about money, we’re told, a year from now the Blue Crabs will be ready to play ball. Calvert will be invited to sit back, relax and watch.