Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, January 25, 1994 TAG: 9401250210
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Eric Margenau, the group's managing partner, said Monday that it would take at least a year of planning and construction to get a new stadium ready for Opening Day in 1995.
"That's not our ultimatum to you," Eric Margenau, the group's managing partner, told City Council on Monday. "We want to stay here. We want to make this happen here."
Margenau made it clear, however, that his group would consider moving the Carolina League team out of the area if Salem Municipal Field is not replaced.
The cozy ballpark, best known for its panoramic views of the mountains and its terraced bleachers where fans set up lawn chairs, will no longer meet minimum standards set by Major League Baseball after the coming season.
This season will be the last for the field, no matter who owns the team, Margenau said.
City Council members said they wanted to know more about the investment group and its two cities - Columbia, S.C., and Fort Wayne, Ind. - where it currently owns teams.
Mayor Jim Taliaferro reaffirmed his determination to keep professional baseball in Salem.
Tentative plans call for a 6,000-seat facility on city-owned land next to the Salem Civic Center. The cost is estimated between $4 and $6 million.
"I'm not afraid to build a baseball stadium," Taliaferro said, "but I've got to have two other votes" to get a majority on City Council.
Councilman Alex Brown said he was prepared to vote for a new stadium, and Councilman Mac Green appeared to be leaning in that direction.
"I think we need the club," said Brown, who is up for re-election this spring. "If we can't hold them down here [at Municipal Field], we have to look at a new situation."
Councilmen Howard Packett and Sonny Tarpley were more cautious.
"I've got to know a lot more about it before I'm ready to vote," Packett said.
In December, Bucs owner Kelvin Bowles reached an agreement with the group headed by Margenau, a sports psychologist from New York City.
The deal, which must be approved by the National Association of Professional Baseball Clubs, is believed to be worth $2 million.
Council members and the new owners agreed to discuss the current Municipal Field lease and, possibly, a new stadium at council's next meeting, scheduled for Feb. 14.
"That's Valentine's Day," Brown noted. "We ought to be in love by then."
Memo: ***CORRECTION***