Developer pleads for pause in demolition of Fair Grounds Field
By Gerry May
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SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (KTBS) — Seemingly down to its last strike, there’s a late rally to save Fair Grounds Field just as the wrecking crew is prepared to tear it down.
“One of the things that brings everybody together is combination of kids and sports,” says Linc Coleman, President of U.L. Coleman Companies, a longtime, local real estate developer. “We’re trying to reach out to future generations so they can be leaders, so they can be have pride in our community, so they can stay here in our community.”
He’s making the pitch to Mayor Adrian Perkins and other stakeholders to pause demolition, and reconsider saving the concrete and steel structure of the abandoned stadium. Coleman says it could be turned into a multi-purpose sports and entertainment venue.
“We would like to keep it for a combination of youth sports, high school and collegiate sports, including not only baseball but other sports like, soccer and lacrosse and other entertainment venues. It’s like an outdoor amphitheater,” Coleman said.
Two large pieces of machinery are in place on what used to be foul territory in right field of the former home of the Shreveport Captains baseball team. That equipment sat idle on a perfect Thursday morning. There were no workers or activity.
Some preliminary demolition work has been done. What appeared to be torn out interior wood and sheetrock were piled in a couple of places.
He says keeping the structure would save a million dollars as the city moves ahead with its stated plan to repurpose Fair Grounds Field. Coleman envisions traveling athletic tournaments making it their destination.
“This is a great inner city property and it’s huge — almost 200 acres,” Coleman says. “This redevelopment, we believe, of the whole Fair Grounds facility will impact Queensborough, Ingleside, Werner Park, all those neighborhoods surrounding on both the north and south side of Interstate 20.
Coleman says Mayor Perkins was initially receptive to the idea when they met. But Coleman says he later learned the administration was moving ahead with demolition.
A spokesman for the mayor told KTBS late Wednesday that demolition was underway. We did not receive an updated comment from his office Thursday as to why no work was being done.
We also did not get a reply from Henderson Construction, the Shreveport company that has the contract to demolish the stadium.
Coleman says the contract allows the city to pause demolition.
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