Lake Olmstead Stadium
{{Short description|Baseball park in Augusta, Georgia, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox Stadium
| stadium_name = Lake Olmstead Stadium
| nickname =
| image =
| fullname =
| location = 78 Milledge Road
Augusta, GA 30904
| coordinates = {{coord|33|29|42|N|82|0|2|W|display=inline,title}}
| broke_ground = September 7, 1994{{cite news |title=Fans Seek Stadium Souvenirs |newspaper=The Augusta Chronicle |date=September 7, 1994 |pages=6A}}
| built =
| opened = April 10, 1995{{cite news |title=Greenjackets Sweep Generals |first=Sammy |last=Batten |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=FV&p_theme=fv&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F54F8E2B537D013&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |newspaper=Fayetteville Observer |date=April 10, 1995 |access-date=September 22, 2011}}
| closed =
| demolished =
| owner = City of Augusta
| operator = Agon Sports and Entertainment
| surface = Grass
| construction_cost = $3 million{{cite book |last1=Pahigian |first1=Josh |authorlink1=Josh Pahigian |title=The Ultimate Minor League Baseball Road Trip: A Fan's Guide to AAA, AA, A, and Independent League Stadiums |date=2007 |publisher=Lyons Press |isbn=9781599210247 |page=176 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1DaQ8oNXuE0C&dq=Heaton-Stadium+Augusta&pg=PA176 |access-date=November 11, 2018}}
(${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|3000000|1995}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}})
| structural engineer = Cranston Engineering Group PC{{cite web |title=Athletic and Recreational Facilities |url=http://www.cranstonengineering.com/athletic_recreational_facilities.html|website=Cranston Engineering Group |access-date=August 9, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140531124625/http://www.cranstonengineering.com/athletic_recreational_facilities.html |archive-date=May 31, 2014}}
| general_contractor = R. W. Allen & Associates
| former_names =
| tenants = Augusta GreenJackets (SAL) 1995–2017
Augusta Jaguars (Peach Belt) 2009–2018
| seating_capacity = 4,822
| record_attendance = 5,828 (May 19, 2009){{cite news |last1=Byler |first1=Billy |title=Rehabbing stars play major roles in minors |url=http://www.augustachronicle.com/sports/greenjackets/2009-05-31/rehabbing-stars-play-major-roles-minors |access-date=August 5, 2018 |work=The Augusta Chronicle |date=May 31, 2009 |language=en |quote=Smoltz ... brought in an announced crowd of 5.828. The crowd was the largest in the history of Lake Olmstead Stadium.}}
| dimensions = Left Field: 330 feet
Center Field: 400 feet
Right Field: 330 feet
}}
Lake Olmstead Stadium is a closed baseball park in Augusta, Georgia, United States. It was built between the 1994 and 1995 seasons to replace Heaton Stadium on the same site{{cite news |last1=Sanders |first1=Steve |title=Similar proposal for a new home was made in '93 |url=http://www.augustachronicle.com/stories/2007/07/29/gja_137601.shtml |access-date=May 16, 2019 |work=The Augusta Chronicle |date=July 29, 2007 |archive-date=May 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190516181609/https://www.augustachronicle.com/stories/2007/07/29/gja_137601.shtml |url-status=dead}} and can hold 4,822 people. The stadium also serves as an outdoor-arena style event venue.
Lake Olmstead Stadium was primarily used as the home field of the Augusta GreenJackets of the Class A South Atlantic League from 1995 to 2017, after which the GreenJackets moved to the new SRP Park across the Savannah River in North Augusta, South Carolina, in 2018.{{cite news |last=Spedden |first=Zach |title=Work Begins on Project Jackson |work=Ballpark Digest |publisher=August Publications |url=https://ballparkdigest.com/2017/01/11/work-begins-on-project-jackson/ |date=2017-01-11 |access-date=2017-05-23}}
Lake Olmstead Stadium was the home field of the Augusta University Jaguars baseball team for most of their games from 2009 to 2013{{cite web |title=Diamond Jags Set To Open 2009 Slate |url=http://augustajags.com/sports/bsb/2008-09/releases/20100812ikb2dq |website=Augusta University |access-date=April 16, 2019 |language=en |date=January 29, 2009}}
{{cite web |title=Diamond Jags Announce 2011 Slate |url=https://aug.prestosports.com/sports/bsb/2010-11/releases/20101118291n87 |website=Augusta University |access-date=April 16, 2019 |language=en |date=November 18, 2010}}
{{cite web |title=Diamond Jags Unveil 2012 Slate |url=http://augustajags.com/sports/bsb/2011-12/releases/20111205tgjn8a |website=Augusta University |access-date=April 16, 2019 |language=en |date=December 5, 2011}}
{{cite web |title=Diamond Jags Unveil 2013 Slate |url=http://augustajags.com/sports/bsb/2012-13/releases/20130109kqokps |website=Augusta University |access-date=April 16, 2019 |language=en |date=January 9, 2013}} and all of their games from 2014 to 2018;{{cite web |title=Jaguar Baseball Lifts Lid On 2014 Slate |url=https://aug.prestosports.com/sports/bsb/2013-14/releases/20140107ommiyn |website=Augusta University |access-date=April 16, 2019 |language=en |date=January 7, 2014}}
{{cite web |title=Jags Baseball Releases 2015 Schedule |url=https://aug.prestosports.com/sports/bsb/2014-15/releases/20141205ky03kr |website=Augusta University |access-date=April 16, 2019 |language=en |date=December 5, 2014}}
{{cite web |title=2016 Augusta University Baseball at Lake Olmstead Stadium |url=https://www.milb.com/augusta/news/gcs-164395010 |website=Minor League Baseball |access-date=April 16, 2019 |language=en |date=February 12, 2016}}
{{cite web |title=Augusta Baseball Sets Promo Dates For 2017 Season |url=http://augustajags.com/sports/bsb/2016-17/releases/20170220gz5mnp |website=Augusta University |access-date=April 16, 2019 |language=en |date=February 22, 2017}}
{{cite web |title=Augusta Hosts 29 Games At Lake Olmstead Stadium In 2018 Schedule |url=https://aug.prestosports.com/sports/bsb/2017-18/releases/20171127gn3e79 |access-date=April 16, 2019 |website=Augusta University |date=December 4, 2017 |language=en}} however, the team elected to return to Jaguar Field on the Forest Hills campus full-time starting in the 2019 season.{{cite web |title=Augusta Baseball Returns Home For 2019 Schedule |url=http://augustajags.com/sports/bsb/2018-19/releases/20181009f2obab |access-date=April 16, 2019 |website=Augusta University |date=December 4, 2018 |language=en}}
Features
The stadium has nearly 1,000 box seats, 830 reserved seats and over 2,500 general admission seats. In 2006, the Budweiser Party Pavilion was built down the right field line. This new area can host picnics anywhere from 20 people to as many as 500 people.{{cite web |title=Lake Olmstead Stadium |url=https://www.milb.com/news/gcs-40999914 |website=MiLB.com |date=February 5, 2009 |access-date=March 8, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228170710/http://www.milb.com/content/page.jsp?ymd=20090205&content_id=40999914&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_t478&sid=t478 |archive-date=February 28, 2017}}
=Improvements=
Before the 2007 season, the Cintas Cool Zone was constructed and the Fun Zone playground area down the left-field line was revamped.{{cite news |title=Fans Can Chill Out with Cool Additions |first=Steve |last=Sanders |url=http://old.chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2007/03/30/gja_122463.shtml |newspaper=The Augusta Chronicle |date=March 30, 2007 |access-date=May 30, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304125727/http://old.chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2007/03/30/gja_122463.shtml |archive-date=March 4, 2016}}
=Future=
With the GreenJackets' departure, the Augusta-Richmond County commission faces questions on how to utilize the ballpark. One proposal was leaving the ballpark as-is with Augusta University as the primary tenant while another proposal was to renovate the ballpark into an amphitheater.{{cite news |last1=Corwin |first1=Tom |title=Fate of Lake Olmstead Stadium uncertain |url=http://www.augustachronicle.com/news/20180308/fate-of-lake-olmstead-stadium-uncertain |access-date=April 28, 2018 |work=The Augusta Chronicle |date=March 8, 2018}} In August 2018 it was reported that the issues hadn't been resolved yet, but that, regarding the interest of Augusta University or Paine College, "it doesn't look like that's the route we're going to take."{{cite news |last1=Corwin |first1=Tom |title=Commissioners pondering options on Lake Olmstead Stadium |url=http://www.augustachronicle.com/news/20180818/commissioners-pondering-options-on-lake-olmstead-stadium |access-date=August 22, 2018 |work=The Augusta Chronicle |date=August 18, 2018 |language=en}} In October 2018 Recreation officials recommended to city commissioners that they do modest repairs to the facility to begin holding events, short of a full-scale renovation estimated to cost $640,000.{{cite news |last1=Spedden |first1=Zach |title=Augusta Plans Lake Olmstead Stadium Repairs |url=https://ballparkdigest.com/2018/10/31/augusta-plans-lake-olmstead-stadium-repairs/ |access-date=November 10, 2018 |work=Ballpark Digest |publisher=August Publications |date=October 31, 2018}}
In 2020, the city reached an agreement with concert promoter C-4 Live to manage the stadium and cover the costs to make it a state-of-the-art outdoor venue in exchange for hosting events there for free for a limited time. The first event scheduled, a concert series during Masters Week in March 2022, was cancelled a month ahead of the event, and stadium work was stopped, citing soil instability.{{cite news |last1=Legoas |first1=Miguel |title=C4 Live countersues Augusta leaders over Lake Olmstead Stadium, defunct XPR Augusta |url=https://www.augustachronicle.com/story/news/local/2023/04/13/c4-live-countersues-augusta-development-authority-sean-frantom-lake-olmstead-stadium-xpr-augusta/70107660007/ |access-date=March 8, 2024 |work=The Augusta Chronicle |date=2023-04-13}}
As of March 2023, the stadium is unusable and the city is pursuing a lawsuit against the company they contracted with for repairs.{{Cite news |first=George |last=Eskola |date=2023-03-01 |title=Augusta's Lake Olmstead Stadium lawsuit disputes claim of soil problems as an issue |url=https://www.wjbf.com/csra-news/augustas-lake-olmstead-stadium-lawsuit-disputes-claim-of-soil-problems-as-an-issue/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |work=WJBF |language=en-US}} In April 2023, the company filed a countersuit against the city. In April 2024, the city was granted a default judgement by a Richmond County judge against C-4 Live, dismissing the concert promoter's counterclaim due to their failure to retain a lawyer on court order.{{cite news |last1=Eskola |first1=George |title=Augusta court awards city judgement on Lake Olmstead Stadium countersuit |url=https://www.wjbf.com/csra-news/augusta-court-awards-city-judgement-on-lake-olmstead-stadium-countersuit/ |access-date=May 27, 2024 |work=WJBF |date=April 23, 2024}}
Following the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in late September 2024, the stadium was opened up as a debris collection site.{{cite web |last1=Eskola |first1=George |title=Augusta adds debris drop off site at Lake Olmstead Stadium |url=https://www.wjbf.com/news/augusta-adds-debris-drop-off-site-at-lake-olmstead-stadium/ |publisher=WJBF |access-date=January 1, 2025 |date=October 14, 2024}}
Notable events
Bob Dylan performed at the stadium during his 2006 North American Tour on August 17, 2006.{{cite news |title=Pop Rocks: Baseball Stadium Is Perfect for Shows |first=Steven |last=Uhles |url=http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2006/08/25/uhl_93816.shtml |newspaper=The Augusta Chronicle |date=August 25, 2006 |access-date=August 9, 2013}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.milb.com/news/gcs-40999914 Augusta Greenjackets Profile]
- [http://www.littleballparks.com/Stadium/2003/Augusta_Ga/Augusta_Ga.htm Lake Olmstead Stadium Views - Ball Parks of the Minor Leagues]
Category:Minor league baseball venues
Category:Sports venues in Augusta, Georgia
Category:Baseball venues in Georgia (U.S. state)