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The Belton, Missouri, City Council will hear a feasibility study proposal at its Tuesday meeting for a professional baseball stadium.
City Council members reached out last summer to the Frontier Baseball League about the possibility of the city getting an expansion team.
The Frontier League League, an independent major league baseball-partnered association, has 18 teams in two divisions.
The organization has franchises in mid-sized major league market suburbs in Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh.
According to Belton City Manager Joe Warren, city leaders approached the league about whether it would have an interest to put a team in Belton. The city leaders attended a game in Sauget, Ill., to get the full experience of the Gateway Grizzlies. A Frontier League franchise near St. Louis is the oldest independent baseball franchise in the nation.
Frontier League Commissioner Steve Tahsler made a visit to Belton to view potential sites and locations for a stadium.
City Manager Warren told KSHB 41 he was skeptical about the idea when he first learned about the interest to bring a team to Belton.
"I was like, 'baseball, is that the growing sport right now?"' he said. "I love baseball, but I was like, 'is that really the way we want to go?"' "More than anything, when they started talking about they do more than baseball, that really got my attention."
KSHB 41's Cass County reporter Ryan Gamboa sat down with the league's commissioner Thursday afternoon.
"Belton fits very well if you look at comparable to the other markets that we’re in," Tahsler said. "The distance to Kansas City, the population of Cass County, the travel patterns, the interstate right there. It fits in Cleveland, it fits in Cincinnati, it fits in Pittsburgh, it makes sense it would work in Kansas City. Let’s explore this."
To get a better understanding of what independent baseball looks like consider the Kansas City Monarchs.
Legends Field, the team's home field in Kansas City, Kansas, is a prime example.
It's been the home of the Monarchs since 2003, with 4,500 fixed seats and can hold up to 20,000 people for concerts and special events.
That special event and multi-use purpose is what caught the city manager's mind.
The Frontier League has a philosophy of being good community partners, with local ownership, and building stadiums that can bring more to a community than just baseball.
"They utilize these stadiums a lot more than just 51 games a year," Warren explained. "They use it almost like an economic hub, they use it as a convention center, mini convention center, where they host other events."
For a city that continues to grow, Warren sees it as an opportunity for other economic development.
The big question is whether the community can sustain a project of this scale.
"We have a lot of room to grow to the south, a lot of room to the west," Warren said. "We even have some open spaces in the middle of the city as well. We’re looking at something nice, it’d be first class. If we’re going to do it, its gotta be something worthwhile, something the community could be proud of."
Warren estimates a stadium that could seat upwards of 3,500 fans with luxury boxes that could double as a mini convention center for meetings and conferences.
Tahsler acknowledges these stadiums appear to be a headache with future maintenance needs, but the league has investments and policies in place that prioritize stadium maintenance.
"We can show our ballparks that are 25-30 years old, that were built for the Frontier League, that are still in great shape, are being maintained, upgraded and modernized as technology and fan consumption advances," he said. "That’s what we’re proud of. Our philosophy is if we are really going to be a community asset, we need to feature programming that is attractive to every single segment of the community beyond just the sports fans."
Baseball fans in the area, including Wheelhouse Baseball Clinic down the road in Raymore, showed some excitement at the possibility.
"Baseball is good for everybody," said Chris Allen, the youth program's owner. "When the Royals are good, more kids play baseball. And with the Frontier League coming to this, it would be great."
Allen sees it as an opportunity for his young players to be exposed to high-level talent, creating inspiration and opportunities for quality family time.
"It really gives them goals to shoot for and it’s also kind of a litmus test of where they are." he said. "It gives them a reality check of where they need to be to play at that level. I think the community would kind of come together to share that building, not just for baseball, but for community activities, the 4th of July fireworks show."
Other baseball fans also joked around with Gamboa about some fun names for a potential franchise.
"The "Belton Snoodledogs," Robert Jordan told KSHB 41.
Jeff Ramstad said he grew up playing baseball and loves the idea.
"Belton is growing and I think a lot of people would go to the games," he said.
Ramstad thinks the team should be named the "Belton Wranglers."
But before fans can get too excited, a lot of work needs to be done.
On Tuesday, March 10, the Belton City Council will be presented with the first look at a feasibility study for a stadium location.
The study, if passed by the city council, would cost $70,000. Additionally, a contractor will review potential property locations and examine potential funding opportunities.
The study should take about 12 weeks to complete.
There is not strict timeline on potential stadium build.
Commissioner Tahsler says they want to approach a league expansion the right way — estimating 2029 is a realistic target date should Belton be the correct fit.
"We’re at a point that we’re willing to look at anything that’s a good opportunity, but we can also be very picky, we want to make sure any club and any market that is coming to us is going to be a long-term success," Tahsler said. "We want to make sure that’s realistic for the city and county as well."
No deal has been finalized. This is simply the first step in considering whether this as a feasible project.
Warren said he wants the public's feedback on this project and encourages residents to be a part of the process.
Monday's city council meeting begins at 6:00pm at 520 Main Street in downtown Belton.
"We don’t measure our teams on today or tomorrow, we measure them on a decade to two decades down the road," Tahsler added. "When you do your 30th year high school reunion, are you going to be able to do it watching a Frontier League baseball game? That’s the picture and that’s kind of how it works for us."
Click here to see more pictures and media from the Frontier League and its stadiums.
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