Competing proposal could pitch Prospects out of Rossdale stadium

The Edmonton Prospects may have hit their last pitch in the city’s river valley as the baseball club waits to hear from the city on its long-term plans for Re/max Field in Rossdale.

With its four-year lease expiring in March 2020, the amateur collegiate baseball team out of the western Canadian Baseball League has submitted a tenancy proposal for a 10-year lease of the field. But it’s not the only group vying for the anchor space around a larger redevelopment of the surrounding neighbourhood.

The city received at least one other submission in a request for proposals that closed in June, involving longtime Edmonton Oilers defenceman Randy Gregg.

His group, made up of 19 Edmontonians ranging from teachers to surgeons, hopes to activate more than just baseball through the popular field. This could include allowing music organizations and cultural groups to use the 9,200seat stadium for events.

“To see a beautiful field like that only used 30-40 times a year is too bad,” Gregg said. “The city may be interested in expanding its use.”

But the diamond won’t go without its fair share of baseball, Gregg said, noting it would be a great facility for minor baseball to pique interest in sports.

When city council approved the proposal process back in April, there were preliminary talks of bringing a professional team to Edmonton, an idea Gregg doesn’t see as feasible in such a northern city.

Meanwhile, the Prospects are hoping to continue playing and entertaining fans in their home of the last seven years. But team owner Patrick Cassidy said their proposal doesn’t come without its own ideas to make the space more than just a baseball diamond.

“We’ve got some fairly grandiose concepts and ideas for the area, not only for the ballpark but for some land around the ballpark and types of things that would really activate that whole River Crossing area,” Cassidy said Tuesday. His team was eliminated from the playoffs on Saturday in Okotoks.

The city’s River Crossing project is a proposed redevelopment in west Rossdale including houses, commercial space and a public park. A detailed plan for the project is expected to face council’s urban planning committee Sept. 3.

The future of the team hangs in the air until a decision is issued, but Cassidy said he will have the chance to meet with the city and discuss the proposal in detail Thursday.