By Shereen Siewert
The Woodchucks organization aims to bring a Minor League women’s sports club to Wausau’s Athletic Park in the summer of 2024, making the city one of a handful in the Midwest to host such a team.
The first Division 1 Collegiate Summer Softball game would be held June 1, 2024 with a 40-game season, 20 of which would be at Athletic Park. The season would start after Memorial Day and finish before Aug. 15, with the team scheduling home games while the Woodchucks are on the road.
The approximate $500,000 price tag includes $250,000 in franchise fees and $250,000 in start-up expenses.
In addition, Woodchucks’ owner Mark Macdonald will present his vision next week to the Parks and Recreation Committee to install AstroTurf in the infield and infield foul territory sections of Athletic Park. The Economic Development Committee will also take a first look at the turf and team proposal on Dec. 6.
According to city documents, the roughly $600,000 turf project would begin at the end of the 2023 Woodchucks season, likely in mid-August.
The Woodchucks organization says the change will allow Athletic Park to open earlier in the spring and support both softball and baseball with less wear and tear on the field. Multiple games could then be played each day with a field that accommodates beginner intermediate and high school baseball as well. In addition, the turf will mean fewer rain delays and cancellations with a potential cost savings on daily maintenance, the organization states.
“Wausau will be unique in supporting professional Women’s sports presenting an image as a progressive community,” the Woodchucks organization proposal states.
For the plan to come to fruition, a Second Use agreement will be negotiated and a development agreement from April 2020 requires an update. The 2020 agreement between the city and the Woodchucks stipulated that Wausau would create 150 new public parking spaces within a .125 mile radius of the park by Dec. 31, 2022. The city has not met this requirement, citing “unforeseen circumstances.”
Over the last baseball season, the city worked with Macdonald to supply temporary spaces and will do the same in 2023.
“To correct the missed timeline, City staff is working on an amendment to the previous agreements,” city documents state. “The amendment will memorialize the temporary situation the City arranged last year as well as clarifying signage requirements.”
Additional details about the reasons for the missed timeline were not immediately available on Wednesday.
