North Augusta is about to enter a league of its own.
At noon Thursday, May 25, a moment more than four years in the making finally crosses home plate – the groundbreaking for the new Augusta GreenJackets baseball stadium.
The event is open to the public and will take place at the stadium site, at Riverside Village at Hammond's Ferry in North Augusta.
Free parking and shuttles to the groundbreaking will be available at the Medac Parking Deck along with the City of North Augusta Municipal Building.
“This day has been years in the making and a special milestone to commemorate a new era of professional baseball and entertainment in the CSRA," Jeff Eiseman, president and partner of the Augusta GreenJackets, said in a statement.
"Although theoretically, we have passed the point where we are beginning construction, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to hold this ‘official’ ceremony and share this momentous day with everyone in the community," the statement continued.
North Augusta City Administrator Todd Glover said the stadium is still on tap to be finished in time for the 2018 baseball season.
Glover said he's excited the groundbreaking has finally arrived, but stopped short of celebrating.
"It is exciting, it is a big step. Now is the hard part," he said. "We've been talking about it for five years, so we've built up expectations. Now's the part that we have to deliver what we said we were going to do."
Glover confirmed that all bonds have been closed. He also noted that groundbreaking for apartments will take place in coming days.
Funding for the Crowne Plaza hotel, he said, is in place and the senior living center is "very close" in terms of lining up its funding. Some concerns arose last month when public records noted loans hadn't been secured, but Glover said both projects are further along.
The hotel is projected for a November 2018 opening. Glover said a conference already has been scheduled at the Crowne Plaza in January 2019, but he didn't name the group.
Additionally, a preliminary major site plan for "The Clubhouse at Village Park," a mixed use development within Project Jackson, is on the agenda for the North Augusta Planning Commission meeting.
The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. May 18 in the North Augusta Municipal Building at 100 Georgia Ave.
According to the agenda, the development would be located west of Georgia Avenue and south of Railroad Avenue, parallel to the GreenJackets ballpark and 13th Street. It consists of parking, concourse and team space, offices and residential apartments, the agenda states.
Various retail and restaurant announcements are expected throughout the summer, with the first rollout possible by mid-June, Glover said.
The GreenJackets are a Class A advance affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.
