City grants FODP a small victory

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Friends of Duncan Park (FODP) received an assurance from the city of Spartanburg Monday night at the City Council’s bi-weekly meeting at Spartanburg City Hall.

The City Council, by 4-to-3 vote, approved a tri-part measure which included the basis for a public/private partnership with the citizen-based organization comprised over nearly 250 individuals.

The other two components of the agreement were to terminate the Coastal Plain League’s Spartanburg Stingers’ lease at Historic Duncan Park Stadium for 2007 and to work with the franchise in securing a playing location in the city for next season, possibly at Wofford College’s Russell C. King Field. The intention is to bring baseball back to the stadium in 2008.

The group’s elected president, Lenny Mathis, gave a two-minute speech on behalf of the group with 25-to-30 members in attendance.

The Friends of Duncan Park, a 13-month organization, is committed to raising the necessary funds, along with preserving and revitalizing South Carolina’s oldest baseball stadium. The park celebrated its 80th anniversary last Saturday when the Stingers hosted the Gastonia Grizzlies.

With the backing of the Spartanburg County Foundation, the FODP has done the necessary paperwork to become a 501-c3 non-profit organization.

At the Saturday anniversary game, the Friends of Duncan Park continued to collect individual petitions from patrons and sold out of the 108 t-shirts they had available for purchase. The t-shirts were available for the first time at the contest.

The FODP will now focus its efforts on fundraising and working closely with the city to secure the necessary permits, along with reaching all codes. The Friends of Duncan Park will also be working towards receiving donations and in-aid help with a goal of $1.1-to-$1.5 million to complete phase one of a recent feasibility study done on the ballpark.