Segra Park Explained

Stadium Name:Segra Park
Location:1640 Freed Street
Columbia, South Carolina
United States
Coordinates:34.0174°N -81.0314°W
Broke Ground:January 6, 2015[1]
Opened:April 14, 2016
Owner:City of Columbia
Operator:Hardball Capital
Surface:Grass
Construction Cost:$37 million
Architect:Populous
Structural Engineer:Walter P Moore[2]
Services Engineer:Henderson Engineers, Inc.
General Contractor:CCEB Venue Partners (Consisting of Barton Malow, Contract Construction, Construction Dynamics, and EnviroAg Sciences)[3]
Former Names:Spirit Communications Park (2016–2018)
Tenants:Columbia Fireflies (SAL/Low-A East/Carolina League) 2016–present
Seating Capacity:9,077
Dimensions:Left Field: 319feet
Left-Center Field: 372feet
Center Field: 400feet
Right-Center Field: 382feet
Right Field: 330feet[4]

Segra Park, formerly known as Spirit Communications Park, is a baseball park in Columbia, South Carolina. It is the home of the Columbia Fireflies, a Minor League Baseball team playing in the Carolina League. It opened in 2016 and can seat up to 9,077 people.

Background

Columbia was without minor league baseball since the Capital City Bombers relocated to Greenville, in 2004. Plans were approved to build a new stadium to attract a Minor League Baseball team in 2014, with Spirit Communications, a local telecommunications company, buying the naming rights.[5]

Developers broke ground on Spirit Communications Park on January 6, 2015. Architectural firm Populous built the stadium, with an estimated 8,500 capacity, on a budget of $37 million, with $30 million coming from public funds, $7 million from the team.[6] The Savannah Sand Gnats of the Class A South Atlantic League announced in May 2015 that they would move to Columbia for the 2016 season,[7] [8] and be known as the Columbia Fireflies.[9] Their first game at Spirit Communications Park, on April 14, 2016, was a 4–1 victory over the Greenville Drive attended by 9,077 people.[10]

In its first season, Ballpark Digest named Spirit Communications Park it's 2016 Ballpark of the Year. It's the first time that a stadium has received the honor in its first year since Fluor Field at the West End, home of the Greenville Drive did in 2006.

On September 7, 2018, the ballpark hosted the United Music Festival hip hop concert with Ludacris, Flo Rida, Nelly, and Ying Yang Twins.[11]

Originally known as Spirit Communications Park, the facility was renamed Segra Park in January 2019 following the merger of Spirit Communications and Lumos Networks Corp into Segra.[12]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Work to Begin Next Week on Stadium Billed As the Key to Success for the Large Bull Street Project. Clif. LeBlanc. The State. Columbia, SC. January 6, 2015. March 12, 2016.
  2. Web site: Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Architect for a Large or Complex Project. City of Columbia. August 19, 2014. March 12, 2016.
  3. Web site: Spirit Communications Park Groundbreaking. Abby. Naas. Minor League Baseball. January 6, 2015. March 12, 2016.
  4. Web site: Sprint Communications Park . 4 . 2016 Columbia Fireflies Media Guide . Minor League Baseball . 2016 . May 5, 2016.
  5. News: Bull Street Ball Park to Be Named 'Spirit Communications Park'. Carolyn. Callahan. WIS. Columbia, SC. December 3, 2014. July 15, 2015.
  6. Web site: Benjamin. Hill. Columbia Breaks Ground on Stadium for 2016. milb.com. Minor League Baseball. January 6, 2015. July 15, 2015.
  7. News: It's Official: Savannah Baseball Team Moving to Columbia. Neil. White. The State. Columbia, SC. May 21, 2015. July 15, 2015.
  8. News: Savannah Baseball Team Moving to Columbia. Steven. Dial. Tony. Santaella. WLTX. Columbia, SC. March 25, 2015. July 15, 2015.
  9. News: Columbia Fireflies Named as New Baseball Name. Aaron. Ransdell. The State. Columbia, SC. August 4, 2015. August 4, 2015.
  10. Web site: Kevin. Fitzgerald . 9,077 See Fireflies Win Spirit Communications Park Opener. milb.com. Minor League Baseball. April 15, 2016. April 16, 2016.
  11. News: Naas . Abby . Nelly to Headline United Music Fest at Spirit Communications Park . February 12, 2019 . . July 3, 2018 . en.
  12. Web site: New for 2019: Segra Park . August Publications . Ballpark Digest . January 14, 2019 . January 14, 2019.