The new minor league stadium in Pomona is no “field of dreams” for Shawn Reilly. The former general manager of the St. Lucie County Sports Complex in Florida is positive the stadium will be a draw not just for Rockland County residents, but for those living beyond its borders.
While Reilly has never swung a professional bat, he”™s sure the talent on the new Can-Am League team, the Rockland Boulders, is going to give Hudson Valley baseball fans something to shout about.
“When you ask commercial or residential prospects what they look for in a community,” he said, “the top three are schools, affordable housing and quality of life ”“ and ballparks are certainly a quality of life attraction.”
The team is holding spring training at Rockland Community College, hitting the road on May 26 and throwing out the first pitch in the new stadium Thursday, June 16 at 7:30 p.m.
“On a scale of one to ten, I give this stadium a 12,” said southpaw Dave LaPoint, the Boulders”™ manager. With three decades in major and minor league baseball, LaPoint, who pitched for the New York Yankees and proudly wears his St. Louis Cardinals”™ World Series ring, says the new stadium is “the best minor league park I”™ve ever had the pleasure to see. Nothing compares to it.”
Bottom Nine Baseball, which contributed $1 million toward the construction, will make an annual lease payment of approximately $1 million a year and is budgeting $3 million in operating expenses. The organization has a 20-year contractual commitment with the town of Ramapo.
The quarter-mile perimeter of stadium has 3,500 seats, 1,000 bleacher seats and 16 private suites overlooking the field accessible by private elevator and catered by a personal chef. “We have four left and most of the private suites already taken have a five-year lease,” Reilly said. “It hasn”™t even opened and this stadium has already become a destination.” Besides baseball, Reilly hopes to see lacrosse, soccer and concerts, as well as business and corporate events utilize the venue.
Among its many amenities are  a 1,200-square-foot community room, an outdoor patio with concession area for groups and parties, as well as a full service lounge/restaurant at field level where guests can watch players warm up in the bullpen. Another section of the stadium, named Sunset Terrace, will be reserved for corporate and private events.
Fans will be able to follow game highlights on a high-definition scoreboard, while children who would rather jump on the seats than watch the game can romp in a supervised play area. The team”™s indoor batting cages will be offered to customers without charge when not in use by the Boulders. Parking in the 1,500-space lot is $5 a car, with overflow space for additional parking if needed, Reilly said.
Reilly had no time to focus on the brouhaha surrounding the stadium”™s construction. “There”™s always some community opposition when a ballpark is built,” said Reilly, executive vice president of Bottom Nine Baseball, as LaPoint nodded in agreement. “We are in charge of running the ballpark and that”™s what we focus on.”
The concept of building a triple-A team has been brewing in the minds of Bottom Nine”™s investors ”“ Reilly, Ken Lehner, Mike Aglialoro, Steve Mulvey and John Flaherty ”“ since 2005. “Now, our dream team will have a first-class home park to call home,” Reilly said. The Boulders will play 50 games in Pomona and 47 more on the road in the 2011 season.
“This is truly a beautiful park surrounded by gorgeous views,” Reilly said. Kudos went to DLR Architects of Kansas City, Mo., which designed the stadium”™s façade to blend in with the natural surroundings, and to Holt Construction, construction manager on the $25 million project, which brought the 27-acre park to life. “I don”™t envy the conditions the workers had to endure this winter,” Reilly said. “But they didn”™t let anything stop them ”“ despite the ice and snowstorms ”“ they kept us on track for our June opening.”
Bottom Nine Baseball predicts 25 full-time, year-round employees, a sales staff and an additional 125 workers on days when the Boulders play home games. “We”™re offering opportunities to interns,” he said. “There are a lot of eager people who want to work in this industry.”
