This week’s visit by New York-Penn League officials to Morgantown to confirm it is still planning on playing in that city in a proposed new stadium does not mean the end of plans to build a stadium at the Charles Pointe development in Bridgeport, officials said.

 

On Tuesday, Ben Hayes, the president of the New York-Penn League, was on hand to reaffirm that league’s plans on having a franchise in Morgantown. The announcement came the same day as officials with West Virginia University’s athletic department said the new Morgantown stadium – that would also be a home venue for the Mountaineers’ baseball team – would likely be ready for use in 2015.

 

So what does that announcement mean for Bridgeport?

 

According to officials from Genesis Partners, the developers of Charles Pointe, it only means that negotiations continue for a stadium in Bridgeport that would house a minor league team. And Managing Member of Genesis Partners Jamie Corton said that individuals’ concerns that the planned team is relocating to Morgantown from Bridgeport are unfounded. Multiple individuals contacted Connect-Bridgeport believing the Penn League was the league that was planning on locating in Bridgeport.

 

“The league we’re talking about is the Frontier League,” said Corton earlier this week. “Morgantown is dealing with a New York-Penn League team.”

 

The Penn League’s teams are affiliated with a Major League Baseball team. The Frontier League is a non-affiliated minor league program.

 

While the leagues are different, there is still no guarantee that the stadium will come to Bridgeport. Genesis Partners Executive Director of Development Mark Dellana said negotiations continue between their officials, the City of Bridgeport and Stu Williams, the managing partner of the Washington Wild Things that is the front man for the project. The Wild Things out of Washington, Pa., are also a member of the Frontier League.

 

“We knew this Morgantown issue was out there. We just didn’t know at any time to what degree things were happening,” said Dellana Thursday. “Stu Williams, the individual who wants to own the stadium, knew of the issue too, but is still committed to seeing this happen.”

 

Dellana said the Morgantown plan could allow for Williams to rethink his plans for what he would like to see come to Bridgeport if the plan proceeds. He said issues such as size, cost and control are all negotiating points.

 

“Maybe Stew will say instead of a 7,000 seat stadium we scale back to 3,500 people. Maybe he opts to revisit the entire thing,” said Dellana.

 

In January, Bridgeport Mayor Jim Christie said the stadium was “on the fast track,” (Click HERE for that story) but that was before this week’s announcement by WVU. The announcement also included talk on a Sales Tax TIF District that would help finance the stadium. Click HERE for Christie’s reasoning for opposing the Sales TIF District in Morgantown.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo is of Jamie Corton. Bottom photo shows Mark Dellana.