WDET News
- Tiger Stadium Preservation Group Confident
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Oct 13, 2008Metro Desk
Tiger StadiumA group that wants to preserve a portion of Tiger Stadium is hopeful the project will succeed. The Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy met its first deadline set by the Detroit City Council on Friday. The group gave the city a 69-thousand dollar check to provide security at the site…and established a 150-thousand dollar escrow account as a non-refundable deposit to the city. The Conservancy maintains the ballpark remains a unique historical asset…and represents a major economic development opportunity. While the group has struggled to get the city on board…spokesperson Gary Gillette is hopeful it can work with City Council and the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation to move the project forward:
“We believe that with making the funding deadline…providing the security and maintenance escrow…and keeping the city apprised of what we’re doing we’re going to be working at partners instead of adversaries.” The Conservancy is relying on a four-million dollar Federal appropriations…and up to six-million dollars in tax credits to fund the bulk of the project. The group has until March to come up with financing for the entire project…estimated at 15-million dollars.