PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL IS BACK IN TROY

I was pleased to secure funds in last year's state budget for the construction of a new $12 million stadium at Hudson Valley Community College, which will be home to a Class A minor league baseball team from the New York-Penn League.

A new, state-of the-art athletic facility will have a major economic impact on the entire region, as will the return of Major League affiliated baseball to the Capital District. An investment of this nature will pay big dividends. Jobs will be created, athletic and academic programs at the college will be expanded and area sports fans -- especially baseball fans -- will have the opportunity to root for the home team, as pro baseball makes a return to our region.

In addition, Hudson Valley Community College officials are working on plans to enhance existing academic programs and create new ones. For example, the college is looking at new programs in the areas of facilities management and sports management, and are looking to enhance their physical education program.

The Capital Region is known for great baseball talent, and Hudson Valley already attracts many great local players -- the college's baseball team is nationally ranked and won the Mountain Valley Collegiate Conference championship last year. This new complex will only enhance recruiting and will also improve several other of their fields and tennis courts.

The $12 million stadium complex will have 4,500 seats, and will be located on the current site of the college's soccer and softball fields and tennis courts. Those existing facilities will have to be relocated to make way for the stadium, which will be owned by Rensselaer County, the college's sponsor, and will be held in trust by the college's Board of Trustees. Adequate parking will be available.

According to William L. Gladstone, principal owner of the Pittsfield Mets (a Class A minor league baseball team from the New York-Penn League), Hudson Valley Community College and Gladstone's firm, National Pastime Corporation, are currently negotiating the terms of a 10-year lease with options to renew. The college would be able to use the facility when the team is not using it during its season, which spans from mid-June to the first week of September. Both parties are hopeful that the new stadium will be ready in time for the 2001 baseball season.

Senator Bruno met with some of the college�s players to see if they were ready to take on the professional team that will also be calling this field their home.

National Pastime's Player Development Agreement with the Pittsfield Mets will end after the 2000 baseball season, because the Mets are planning to have their own affiliated team in Brooklyn. Gladstone will move his new New York-Penn League franchise, an affiliated team of the Houston Astros, to the Capital Region.

The New York-Penn League is composed of 14 teams affiliated with the following Major League Baseball teams: Tampa Bay Devil Rays; Boston Red Sox; St. Louis Cardinals; Toronto Blue Jays; New York Yankees; Montreal Expos; Houston Astros; Philadelphia Phillies; Atlanta Braves; Cleveland Indians; Detroit Tigers; Florida Marlins; Pittsburgh Pirates; and New York Mets.

Gladstone is the retired co-chief executive of Ernst & Young, and serves on the board of directors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Gladstone said the Pittsfield Mets have been drawing an attendance of about 80,000 per season, which includes 38 home games, while playing in a stadium built in 1919. He said he expects that the team will carry a name reflecting the Capital Region. The team is expected to draw well over 100,000 fans each season.

Hudson Valley Community College, located in Troy, offers more than 50 degree and certification programs in four academic divisions: Liberal Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Industrial Technologies; Health Sciences; and Business; as well as programs run through the Educational Opportunities Center offering certification programs in workforce and academic preparation. One of 30 community colleges in the State University of New York system, it has an enrollment of more than 9,000 students each year, and is known as a leader in distance learning initiatives and worker retraining.