(The Center Square) — An advocacy group says it has a plan to save a dilapidated ballpark from the wrecking ball, but time is running out for Shreveport’s Fairgrounds Field.
Friends of Fairgrounds Field is a nonprofit group created in response to the demolition of the field and filed a lawsuit in Oct. 2022 that is still holding the stadium’s teardown at a standstill.
A meeting on Nov. 7 between the Caddo Parish Commission, the mayor, and the school board will discuss possible new ownership and other solutions presented by the group.
Despite the disagreements over what to do with the stadium, there is no controversy over its decrepit state. It is an “eyesore” as described in a letter from Mayor Tom Arceneaux addressing the field’s future.
However, Friends of Fairgrounds Field feel the stadium is salvageable, especially considering how expensive it was to build in the first place.
“We think the structure is worth saving,” Bill Robertson of the ballpark advocacy group told The Center Square. “You can rebuild for a fraction of the cost of replacing.”
Robertson also said this facility is more than just aesthetic or a monument in the city. It’s prime location for a much needed economic and social revamp in Shreveport.
“They need a shot in the arm,” Robertson said of the fields surrounding neighborhoods. “And there are all kinds of uses for the facility that could be developed.”
Of those uses are outdoor shows, youth baseball and weekend events, all of which are necessary for a dying city. Friends of Fairgrounds Field member Linc Coleman told KSLA that 30,000 people have left Shreveport in the last three decades and called the city’s drop in population “an emergency.”
According to U.S. Census data, the city’s population in 1980 was 206,989 and estimates show the population has declined to 177,959 as of 2023, a decline of 14%.
The stadium formally hosted minor league baseball teams but hasn’t been used since the independent Shreveport–Bossier Captains left for Texas in 2017 and later disbanded.
Reconstruction isn’t the only reason the group wants to prevent demolition. There are also health concerns related to a population of bats at Fairgrounds Field. These flying mammals present a threat for toxic histoplasmosis from bat droppings and destroying their temporary home might spread them to other areas.
The group wants professionals to go in and rid the stadium of these bats before any further demolition projects are done.
Despite the group’s financial arguments against the stadium demolition, Arceneaux still feels the city is in no economic state to restore and maintain Fairgrounds Field.
The Center Square reached out to Shreveport’s mayor to get his thoughts and he referenced a letter he wrote to the state government in late August addressing the issue.
He has not budged on his opinion, which is that restoration would be an expensive endeavor. The letter states that not only would it cost Shreveport millions for renovation, but about $8 million a year in maintenance.
Arceneaux did however say in the letter he would consider other options if four conditions were met.
For one, the city’s contribution to restoration has to be no more than the estimated cost of demolition. Two, someone other than the city must finance 100% of the restoration. Three, someone else must agree to maintain and operate the stadium at no net expense to the city. And finally, someone else must put up funds or a bond for the cost of demolition in case the original plan did not succeed.
Friends of Fairgrounds Field are hoping to get business partners and government subsidies that can address these points by their November meeting. Until then, the demolition will remain on pause pending litigation.
Robertson said the group is also reaching out to the Caddo Parish Commission for their support on the issue since Shreveport city officials seem deadlocked on demolition being the only viable option.
“The parish is considering a resolution of support. So we’re focused on them,” Robertson said.
