UTICA—Local officials and residents gathered today to celebrate the ground breaking of a new $12 million minor league baseball field on the northeast corner of Auburn Road and Moscone Drive in Utica.
“For the city of Utica, this ballpark will prove to be transformative. For the county of Macomb, it is an economic, quality-of-life and recreational asset,” says Mark A. Hackel, Macomb County executive. “For the region, it will prove to be a destination location.”
The Ballpark will seat 4,000 and will include a grandstand, five dugout sites, five penthouse suites, 12 private patios, a grass berm and four picnic areas. The project is being privately funded and is led by Rochester-based General Sports and Entertainment LLC.
The ballpark will be home to three new teams who will play in a newly-formed independent professional baseball league. United Shore is the official naming rights partner of this new league, which will be called the United Shore Professional Baseball League.
Jimmy John’s is the official naming rights partner of the new ballpark, which will be named Jimmy John’s Field. Construction is expected to open in June 2016 for the start of the league’s inaugural season. Each team will play a 50-game season for a total of 75 games per season.
The land for the ballpark is owned by the Utica Downtown Development Authority and will be leased to General Sports and Entertainment.
In addition to United Shore League baseball games, other community events are planned to be held at the ballpark including concerts; movie nights; festivals; little league, high school and collegiate baseball and softball games; and tournaments.
Rochester-based Frank Rewold & Son Inc is the ballpark’s general contractor, and Kansas City-based Pendulum Studio is the ballpark’s architect.
