The on again-off again LeLacheur Ballpark funding was ultimately thrown out at the plate in the final version of the state closeout budget Monday.
The effort, spearheaded by Congresswoman Lori Trahan and the Massachusetts House of Representatives, never made it out of the State Senate’s version of the bill. After some slight tinkering Monday, the bill was agreed upon by both legislative houses and sent to Governor Maura Healey for signature.
The final bill was described by 16th Middlesex State Representative Rodney Elliott as a “bare bones bill to cover deficits,” with another Beacon Hill source describing it as containing “no earmarked spending items.”
In October, the $6-million cash appropriation was included in the House closeout budget in October, a last gasp swing for the fences after the Senate had failed to include the spending during earlier budget talks.
Trahan hoped the additional investment would be enough to help entice affiliated minor-league baseball’s return to the banks of the Merrimack River, where the Lowell Spinners played ball from 1998-2019. The team spent the 1996-97 seasons at Alumni Field while waiting for construction to finish on their new ballpark.
Despite another swing and miss on the funding, the 3rd District Representative doesn’t believe it’s game over for baseball’s return to the Mill City.
“Over the past few months a diverse coalition of Lowell community leaders, businesses, and elected officials has come together to make the case alongside UMass Lowell and members of the public for returning professional baseball to LeLachuer Park,” Trahan tells InsideLowell. “While the lack of funding in the closeout budget is a disappointing setback, the concerted effort to bring baseball back to Lowell remains undeterred. I look forward to supporting our state delegation as they continue to make the case for the Mill City when the legislature reconvenes.”
Since the Spinners departure, the ballpark has fallen into significant disrepair, and estimates are it would require $20-$30 million to bring it back and upgrade it to a level suitable for use by future Major League Baseball players.
Where efforts to woo a potential Red Sox affiliate back to the Mill City stand as a result of the latest legislative activity is unclear, though even with the $6-million appropriation, there remained skepticism over the ultimate success of those efforts.
