On Wednesday, Nueces County Commissioners discussed the future of The Aviator Stadium in Robstown, which has not been used for years.
A new softball team called the Coastal Bend Tidal Wave wants county leaders to let them use this field at the RMB Fairgrounds for their upcoming season.
“I am just happy we are getting team here in the Coastal Bend, it is going to be absolutely amazing, we just have to build it and make another winner here,” Blake Miller, Coastal Bend Tidal Wave head coach, said.
Miller presented to Nueces County Leaders at Commissioners Court a proposition.
Miller said the softball league would use the Fairgrounds Field in Robstown rent free, in return the team would invest nearly $200,000 in improvements in the one-year agreement.
“We are sitting there working up, tearing up the grass, and trying to get that dirt and field going, so there is a lot of sweat, equity ready to go in,” Miller said. “So, it is just hitting the fields, getting all the volunteers and getting the community to behind this.”
Miller said the league would work on improvements to things like bathrooms, lighting, painting and fencing.
“Spraying down, power washing, and then we have contractors coming in to fix the bathrooms, you have to do it the right way, so we will bring in contractors to fix the bathrooms fix all the things that need to get to code,” Miller said.
Miller added the league plans to gather the funds for the repairs throughout their year contract with the help of sponsorships.
“It is good for our community, it is good for our area, it is good for entertainment,” Connie Scott, Nueces County Judge, said.
Scott said it is exciting for someone else wanting to use the stadium since it can bring good entertainment value to the community, especially since it will not cost the county anything and the stadium has not been used in years.
“While we are cautiously optimistic about this going through, we would love to have someone in there, we just need for it to work out and be the right person and they be able to be successful on their side as well, and for us to make sure to get the proper documentation in place,” Scott said.
Scott added some concerns with this are how quickly the league needs to use the fields, so there is still some finalizing that needs to be done before.
“We have to be diligent in making sure that we cover our basis, and we don’t incur any more cost because given the budget situation that we went through the county has no funds to invest in this field right now,” Scott said.
“It is absolutely a great facility, the amount of people, the amount of people that could fit in there, have fun in the outfields, it is an old baseball field that we are able to move that around, and put a fence around and put fun in the outfield and the stadium,” Miller said.
Commissioners voted to move forward with an agreement, final details of which still must be worked out.
The court agreed Commissioner John Marez will work with the county attorney to finalize the agreement with the league.
The plan is to have an agreement in place for the team’s first game which is June 12.
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