Polar Park is the winner of our Triple-A Best of the Ballparks vote, as the home of the Worcester Red Sox edged Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in the final round.
Cities such as Cincinnati, St Louis, and New Orleans gave up prime bits of downtown real estate for sports venues. Were the trade-offs worth it? I remember how Reds Stadium in Cincinnati brought in huge crowds. People came from out of town, parked in a wasteland where the historic waterfront had been, watched a game and maybe stayed in town for a meal, and then went back to their suburban or country homes. They contributed little to the life of downtown, except trash and pollution.
Polar Park is supposed to be the centerpiece of a major renovation of the Canal District, a somewhat down-at-the-heels neighborhood literally on the other side of the railroad tracks. The original scheme included a 225-unit apartment building, two hotels, and 65,000 square feet of retail and restaurants. A second phase was to add another 200,000 square feet of retail. Some of this construction–no doubt delayed by Covid–will occur on the large open lots across from the stadium entrance.
Worcester City Council approves creation of Worcester Ballpark Commission to oversee operations at Polar Park
Updated 9:48 AM;
Today 9:48 AM
Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty speaks outside of Polar Park on Tuesday as official provided a tour of the ballpark to the media on Tuesday.
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The Worcester City Council on Tuesday approved a seven-member commission to oversee operations at Polar Park.
The vote by the council creates a similar commission to that of the Civic Center Commission that oversees the operation of the DCU Center and the Parks Commission.
The commission will consist of a seven-member team that will serve five years. To start, members will serve terms of one, two, three, four or five years.