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Wichita Council Approves STAR Bonds For New Baseball Stadium

Nadya Faulx
/
KMUW/File photo

It may be the end of Lawrence-Dumont ballpark, and it may be the beginning of a shiny new sports facility in Wichita.

Lawrence-Dumont Stadium opened in 1934 and was named after Charles Lawrence, a former Wichita mayor, and Hap Dumont, the man who brought the National Baseball Congress to Wichita.

The ballpark has its roots on Ackerman Island, which allowed the venue to escape the Sunday "blue laws" about prohibited activities, such as baseball.

The stadium is now home to the Wingnuts baseball team, and a promenade around the park is a lesson in Wichita’s baseball history.

The Wichita City Council approved a sales tax bond district today to fund about half the projected cost of replacing Lawrence-Dumont.

STAR bonds are expected to pay about half of the expected $40 million cost. City officials hope that will be enough to build a new stadium, although a major renovation could be an alternative.

The new stadium is part of a plan to renovate and bring interest to Delano.

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Aileen LeBlanc is news director at KMUW. Follow her on Twitter @Aileen_LeBlanc.

 
To contact KMUW News or to send in a news tip, reach us at news@kmuw.org.

 

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