Reflections on the Lake County Fielders
Richard Ehrenreich has plenty of memories of his inaugural season as co-owner of the Lake County Fielders minor-league baseball team, but one in particular stands out.
“The images from last season of little children getting autographs of players by the fence, that was priceless, Ehrenreich said.
It wasn't an easy start for the Fielders. The team played its first 15 home games in June at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wis., before moving to a field in Zion that opened with temporary bleachers and no lights.
But fans embraced the bare-bones setup, as evidenced by a per-game average attendance of 3,700 in Zion. Roughly 6,800 fans jammed into the bleachers for the first game the independent Northern League squad played in Zion on July 2.
Ehrenreich, who brought in actor Kevin Costner as a Fielders co-owner, said some fans who would have been in enclosed suites under the original Zion stadium plan watched games from outdoor party decks that proved to be more enjoyable.
“We didn't realize the positive reaction we'd get to ‘less is more,' he said.
Some permanent elements, such as lighting, dugouts, scoreboard, utilities and the playing surface, are now in place for the Fielders at Route 173 and Green Bay Road. Ehrenreich said the hope is to have a stadium concourse, team locker rooms, a seating bowl replacing the temporary bleachers, and Fielders offices built for the 2011 campaign.
More on-site parking also is on the Fielders' wish list for next season. Ehrenreich said it would be desirable to have additional off-premises parking closer to the field.
Originally, the stadium was pegged for a 55-acre former landfill site near Ninth Street and Green Bay Road in Zion. Plans called for a 4,000-seat ballpark with amenities such as suites, party decks and a concert stage.
But construction never started on that site. In April, Fielders and Zion officials announced a shift to the new site about a half-mile south at Green Bay Road and Route 173.
Zion city government, which secured at least $1.3 million in state money for the project, is leasing the baseball field property on the northeast corner of Route 173 and Green Bay Road.
Under an agreement approved by the city council in late June, the Fielders will pay rent to Zion, with the city then forwarding a portion of the money to the property owner.
Ehrenreich's Grand Slam Sports and Entertainment is to pay $100,000 in five equal installments to Zion for the Fielders' use of the facility in 2010. The agreement states the city will receive 6 percent of the club's gross revenue from the facility's use to a maximum $250,000 in 2011 and 2012.
Zion City Council meeting minutes show the parties agreed to negotiate terms for an extension of the deal to Sept. 30, 2035. That is supposed to occur before Dec. 31, 2012.
Ehrenreich said, in retrospect, it would have been too costly to construct the original $15 million stadium with bells and whistles all at once before the 2010 season. He said phasing in the stadium makes more sense.
“In a strange way, Ehrenreich said, “this could be a model on how communities bring minor-league baseball to their towns affordably.
Future retail development will be allowed on the south and west sides of the ballpark, per another agreement the city struck with property owner Green Bay Crossing LLC. Officials said the ballpark land is exempt from real estate taxes, but such revenue can come from the retail portion.