The Cowlitz Black Bears know they may play their 2025 season at David Story Area in Longview.
Past that, not a lot is for certain for considered one of Southwest Washington’s two West Coast League baseball groups.
For 15 years, Cowlitz has performed its dwelling video games at Story Area on the campus of Decrease Columbia School.
Nonetheless, the staff’s possession and the school have been unable to agree on the right way to use $1.3 million allotted by the state Legislature in 2023 to fund renovations at Story Area.
Black Bears co-owner Tony Bonacci stated that has triggered a termination settlement within the staff’s lease after the 2025 season.
“We’re exploring all of our options beyond 2025,” Bonacci stated.
Bonacci additionally co-owns the Ridgefield Raptors, who’ve performed at Ridgefield Out of doors Recreation Complicated for the reason that staff debuted in 2019.
The West Coast League is a collegiate wooden bat league with groups in Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alberta. The 54-game common season stretches from early June by mid-August.
Final season, the Black Bears averaged 674 followers per sport, which ranked 14th out of 16 WCL groups. Bonacci stated he hoped to make use of the state-allocated cash to develop concessions choices, improve seating capability and in any other case enhance the fan expertise.
In July, Decrease Columbia School introduced it was going ahead with its personal plan after the college’s basis agreed to match the $1.3 million supplied by the state. It requires to changing Story Area’s lighting, fixing turf harm and changing the 60-year-old stadium’s wood bleachers, which have been constructed within the Nineteen Eighties.
That venture additionally consists of enhancements to Decrease Columbia’s softball and soccer follow amenities.
Because the Black Bears’ authentic proprietor since 2010, Bonacci stated the Longview/Kelso group is expensive to him no matter what the longer term holds for his staff.
“We have a lot of celebrate over the past 15 years,” Bonacci stated. “Our focus is on this group and the expertise that we’ve been lucky to have right here.
“That experience includes one more season.”