The board made a quick decision to move forward with acquiring Robin Roberts Stadium, but the real debate centered on downtown landlord accountability. A recent hotel sale and stalled renovations sparked calls for a landlord registry, with concerns about out-of-state owners and public incentives. The conversation got heated as members clarified the city’s role in the deal and weighed the impact on downtown’s future. There was also a spotlight on mental health services, with a resident sharing firsthand frustrations and a shoutout to Catholic Charities. If you want to see how these issues played out and what’s next for Springfield, check out the highlights.
Zach Adams is the digital media coordinator for Illinois Times and Springfield Business Journal, handling photography, videography and digital content. He is also the owner of 1221 Photography. More by Zach Adams
Why doesn’t local news dig a little deeper on this so-called great news?
The latest scam is that the city government is just a pass-through to a so-called nonprofit, and that will magically rain down money on this obsolete, high-crime, poor stadium. WHO is behind the non profit? can they post a bond to guarantee this ?
From the start, this will lose over at least $400,000 per year.
There is not enough income from this horribly managed baseball team and other leagues to even cover the utilities.
Why is information not being laid out to the public?
The stadium is not historic in the least bit; it was completely replaced in 1978 with the aluminum bleachers that either freeze or burn when sitting with terrible light glare. not to mention the severe asbestos problem and numerous building code violations that are not grandfathered in.
Any other worthy team can utilize the Sportsplex that we are already subsidizing its construction with taxpayer funds. The best option is to call the wrecking company across the street to take this obsolete mistake down and let them keep the scrap for payment.