Lafayette city officials felt another summer tenant would make further financial investment in 75-year-old Loeb Stadium a viable option.

It appears they have a match.

Mayor Tony Roswarski confirmed Tuesday the city is close to an agreement with an ownership group that wants to bring a Prospect League franchise to Loeb Stadium. The team in the summer wood bat league for collegiate players would begin play in 2016.

"It's a great community amenity and we want it to be used, so having the Prospect League would put the stadium in play many, many more days during the summer," Roswarski said. "Great family entertainment. Something for people to do. Lafayette's a baseball community, and I think that's really a positive."

MKE Sports and Entertainment senior vice president of operations Dan Kuenzi confirmed the Prospect League approved his company's plan for a franchise in Lafayette. He said terms of the lease agreement for Loeb Stadium are being finalized.

Kuenzi declined to elaborate on details, saying he anticipated an announcement in the next couple of weeks. Milwaukee-based MKE already owns Prospect League franchises in Kokomo and Jamestown, New York.

Prospect League commissioner Bryan Wickline said it has not been decided whether the Lafayette team will move from another city or be an expansion franchise. He said the league was exploring “multiple options” for its membership and alignment for 2016.Kuenzi also declined comment when asked if alcohol sales at Loeb Stadium were a prerequisite for a franchise agreement in Lafayette. Alcohol sales are prohibited at Loeb and other parks department properties.

"As with any sporting event, that is something that has been and is being discussed," parks and recreation superintendent Claudine Laufman said. "I don't know that that's specifically a viability criteria, but that is something they did bring to us as a discussion point.

"This is a top-notch organization, and I think it will be a wonderful partnership once we finish our discussion."

Laufman said representatives from MKE are expected to attend Monday's parks board meeting.

The Prospect League formed in November 2008. Five teams from the Central Illinois Collegiate League merged with three teams in former Frontier League cities and two expansion franchises.

The league's 12-team footprint now covers seven states, spanning from Hannibal, Missouri, in the west, to Jamestown, New York, in the east. This past season, the Kokomo Jackrabbits joined the Terre Haute Rex and the Richmond RiverRats as Indiana franchises.

Each team plays about 30 home games. According to league figures, paid attendance at Kokomo totaled 44,181 fans for 29 dates, an average of 1,523. Ticket prices ranged from $8 for "backyard" seating on the lawn to $40 VIP tickets that included unlimited food, water, soda and three beers.

Jeanie Cook, managing partner of Prospect League member Danville Dans, said Lafayette has long been mentioned in previous league conversations about expansion.

"We're in a growth mode," said Cooke, who said she was not aware of an imminent deal for a Lafayette team. "We have a very large footprint which we would like to fill in. This goes back — looking at Lafayette, people talking about Lafayette — 10 years ago. They have a facility, and it's a great sports town."

In 2013, the parks board commissioned a feasibility study on Loeb from KJG Architecture. The firm estimated essential repairs at $345,000 to $445,000; essential repairs and some remodeling at $1.3 million to $1.8 million; and complete renovation at $2.9 million to $4.5 million. New stadium construction on the site of Loeb Stadium was estimated at $10 million to $30 million.

In October 2013, the city approved spending money to renovate a locker room, seal leaks and make other small repairs. Kettlehut Construction Inc. was awarded two contracts totaling $272,000. Laufman said then that the project would be funded through tax incremental financing.

City officials hoped the project would buy additional time to make a decision about long-term repair to or a remodel of the now 75-year-old stadium.

Roswarski said the Columbian Park master plan includes a stadium project, but its scope has not been decided.

"Certainly having a team that we know would use it more days, more times during the year, makes it even more attractive to do something to the stadium," Roswarski said.

The new team's schedule is not expected to interfere with that of Loeb's current tenants: Lafayette Jeff, American Legion Post 11 and the Colt World Series. The Prospect League team would be the first baseball of its kind based in Tippecanoe County since the Lafayette Leopards of the Heartland League plated at Loeb from 1996-98. (The Ohio Valley Redcoats of the Frontier League played some games at Loeb in 2005.)

Current Prospect League membership

East Division

Team (Location)

Butler Blue Sox (Butler, Pennsylvania)

Champion City Kings (Springfield, Ohio)

Chillicothe Paints (Chillicothe, Ohio)

Jamestown Jammers (Jamestown, New York)

Richmond RiverRats (Richmond)

West Virginia Miners (Beckley,West Virginia)

West Division

Team (Location)

Danville Dans (Danville, Illinois)

Hannibal Cavemen (Hannibal, Missouri)

Kokomo Jackrabbits (Kokomo)

Quincy Gems (Quincy, Illinois)

Springfield Sliders (Springield, Illinois)

Terre Haute Rex (Terre Haute)

 

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