baseball

LOWELL — For two summers now, LeLacheur Park has sat silent, absent the sounds of baseballs cracking against bats and cheering fans.

The park may soon come alive, however, with the sounds of construction as the city rehabilitates certain park features with an eye toward attracting another minor league baseball team.

In 2020, the park fell silent due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, Major League Baseball underwent a reorganization that dissolved the New York-Penn League, leaving the Lowell Spinners, the former Class A short-season affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, shut out.

Despite the city’s best efforts — along with help from U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan — to save the Spinners, it wasn’t meant to be.

Since then, Lowell has been exploring how it might attract a new affiliated minor-league team to LeLacheur.

“They were a very, very popular draw for the city,” City Manager Eileen Donoghue said of the Spinners, noting that the frequently sold-out games brought 5,000 people to downtown Lowell on many a night over the team’s 24 years in the city.

Those game attendees made quite an economic impact on Lowell, from parking revenue to supporting restaurants and other businesses, she said.

Following the city’s baseball hiatus, Donoghue said she believes there will be “a pent-up energy and demand to come back to what had been.”

“The proof is right there,” she said. “When you have had a successful franchise and product for nearly 25 years, that’s a pretty good track record, enough to show that there’s support and fanbase support.”

Months ago, the Red Sox put out a statement that they were interested in working with Lowell to explore the possibility of bringing another team to the city. Donoghue said the city is “very interested in pursuing that,” but must first determine the feasibility.

“Ideally, we would love to have a Red Sox affiliated team here for many years to come,” she said.

At an executive session held June 15, the City Council expressed its support for pursuing changes and improvements at the park aimed at landing another minor league baseball team. That month, the city solicited the services of an owner’s project manager, and hired Jones Lang LaSalle Americas Inc. to oversee a number of physical enhancements at the stadium.

Areas targeted for improvement include the home and visitor clubhouses, locker and weight rooms, concession areas, playing field, irrigation and drainage systems, lighting and seating.

On Aug. 18, the city put out a request for proposals seeking engineering and design services for an accelerated feasibility study, which would identify and design all improvements necessary to bring the stadium into compliance with the standards of Major League Baseball, and how much they would cost. A site inspection will be held Tuesday morning, and all bidders must submit their proposals by Sept. 1.

Donoghue said she hopes to have a design firm selected by mid-September, and schematic designs completed by the end of the year. Ideally, construction would begin early next year and be completed by March 2023, to allow for a team to start playing that April, she said.

In the meantime, Lowell is exploring all potential funding sources while being mindful of the city’s other needs, in order to proceed in a fiscally prudent manner, Donoghue said.

Some of that funding may come thanks to Trahan, who earmarked $750,000 for Lowell in a House appropriations bill last month, which would be used for roof repairs, bleacher replacement and upgrades to the concourse and visitor amenities at LeLacheur Park.

The city is also in discussions with its state delegation about any funding opportunities at the state level, Donoghue said.

Donoghue will also discuss the efforts at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, as part of a response to a motion put forward by Councilor Rita Mercier requesting any new information about a possible professional baseball team to play at the park.