A Request For Help

I received this request the other day and feel it is worth forwarding:

March 20, 2012

Re:  We need your help to Bring the Knights Home

Dear Friends of Baseball:

We need your help. We are at a crossroads for AAA Baseball in our community. I am requesting your active support of our efforts bring the Charlotte Knights to Center City Charlotte. 

The Charlotte Knights are requesting funding support from the City of Charlotte to build a new AAA Ballpark. It will bring affordable family fun to the most convenient location in our region. The new ballpark will provide a facility for youth and amateur sports tournaments that support the hospitality industry.  We also know this AAA Stadium will bring jobs of all types, including youth employment. This public investment will be super catalyst for private investment and redevelopment of 36 acres of vacant land and surface parking lots. This stadium will bring life to Romare Bearden Park and will spur the creation of restaurants and retail as well as a hotel, office and residential development.

Please help us by doing five things:

1.      Write a letter to the editor of the Observer, Creative Loafing or any newspapers you read…here are two options:

Charlotte Observer:    opinion@charlotteobserver.com     Subject line: Letter to the Editor

Creative Loafing:         backtalk@creativeloafing.com        Subject line: Letter to the Editor

2.      City Council (email addresses below or write to 600 E. 4^th Street, Charlotte, NC 28202) In your note to City Council:

a)      Share with City Council who you  are and that you support this investment in the new ballpark.

b)      Ask City Council to support this investment in affordable family entertainment.

c)      Share why you support this project and how you will use it personally.

d)      Provide your name, address and phone number.

e)      Thank them for their service to Charlotte and their thoughtful consideration of this investment.

3.      Go to our Facebook page and “like” us at http://www.facebook.com/BaseballUptown.

4.      Send us an email at info@charlottecentercity.org and we will keep you in the loop about events and this effort.

5.      Lastly, ask friends and family to support this effort by doing these five things.

This is the list of Charlotte City Council representatives and emails.

Mayor Anthony Foxx     afoxx@charlottenc.gov

Patrick Cannon               councilmancannon@gmail.com    
David Howard                 info@davidhowardclt.com 
Warren Cooksey            warren@warrencooksey.com       
James Mitchell                JamesDistrict2@aol.com
LaWana Mayfield           councilwomanmayfield@gmail.com
Beth Pickering                 pickeringbeth@aol.com                  
Clair Fallon                      CGFTJF@aol.com
Patsy Kinsey                    pkinsey@charlottenc.gov                              
Michael Barnes               barnesdistrict4@aol.com   
John Autry                       john@johnautry.net                         
Andy Dulin                       adulin@charlottenc.gov

We have seen the power of this downtown development strategy in cities across the country, including Indianapolis, Columbus, Louisville, Toledo, Durham, Oklahoma City, Greenville and Birmingham, just to name a few.  If you want to see concrete examples, click on these links to see news stories about 3 of those cities:
News 14 - Columbus & Durham
WSOC - Greenville SC - Minor League investment pays off

Please stay in touch with us through email, Twitter (#BringBaseballBack), Facebook and www.charlottecentercity.org. With your help, we will bring this affordable entertainment option and redevelopment catalyst to Charlotte.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Smith
President and CEO
Charlotte Center City Partners