Funds For Rebuilding City Stadium OK’d By Assembly

3/19/2007 – Daily News Record

Mayor: Project Could Be Hit For Downtown Written By Jeff Mellott Daily News Record Harrisonburg – The General Assembly has approved funds for demolishing Veteran’s Memorial Stadium and building a new structure in its Place. The measure must be signed by Gov. Tim Kaine before James Madison University, the stadium’s owner, can use the $5 million it requested from legislators. Along with providing a new place to play for JMU and the Harrisonburg Turks baseball team of the Valley League, the new stadium could create more interest in the city’s downtown, according to Mayor Rodney Eagle. Landmark The money would pay for a baseball and softball complex at the stadium site along South High Street. The site lies just north of the old Harrisonburg High School, which is now owned by JMU and called Memorial Hall. The stadium was build in 1948 with donations from the public, and dedicated to the area’s 139 veterans who died during World War II. The construction schedule is likely to displace the Turks for a season, officials say. Turks owner Bob Wease said he is waiting for details of the construction schedule before deciding on an alternative, if temporary, place to play. Enhanced Attraction Memorial Stadium has been a mainstay on the fringes of the city’s downtown. The stadium will bring with it the added attraction of JMU night games. "It’s another piece of our downtown puzzle that we are putting together to enhance it," Eagle said.