06-05-2025
Dodd Stadium supporters defend ballpark: What Norwich City Council proposes to do
Thirty years after its opening, people in Norwich still like Dodd Stadium, at least those who attended Monday's City Council meeting.
A resolution to put Dodd Stadium up for sale was on the agenda for Norwich City Council, though the Council had already planned to wait until May 19 to decide.
Many members of the public said getting rid of Dodd Stadium is not the way to go, as Norwich has limited options for family entertainment.
Since Norwich can run a golf course profitably, the city should be able to do the same with Dodd Stadium, Norwich resident Beryl Fishbone said.
"It can't be that much different," she said.
Outside of Dodd Stadium.
How the sale of Dodd Stadium would happen
If approved, the city will use the services of Colliers d/b/a Dow & Condon Inc. to sell the property. Once a prospective purchaser submits a purchase and sales agreement, the City Council will then decide whether to make the sale.
As of 2024, Norwich Assessors' Office records state Dodd Stadium is assessed at $9.7 million, and appraised at $13.8 million.
Dodd Stadium is primarily the home of the Norwich Sea Unicorns, a baseball team in the Futures League, a summer collegiate baseball league consisting of six New England teams, including another Connecticut team, the New Britain Bees.
The Sea Unicorns have been the championship winners in 2023 and 2024.
Norwich Sea Unicorns 2024 Futures League champions
History of baseball at Dodd Stadium
Dodd Stadium had formerly been home to Major League affiliate teams, including the Norwich Navigators, which had been affiliated with the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants. The Sea Unicorns were once the Connecticut Tigers, an affiliate of the Detroit Tigers.
The Sea Unicorns lost its affiliation with the Tigers in December 2020, after a season of not playing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This happened after Major League Baseball wanted to remove Major League affiliations from 42 of its Minor League teams in 2019.
Keeping it local
As a CPA and a business owner, Norwich resident Ed Muenzner said Norwich should have a strategic plan and understand what the costs and benefits are before unloading the stadium, he said.
'Will the tax that (selling) would add replace all the value the stadium does for the community?' he asked.
Norwich resident Nancy Miclette works in the Norwich Sea Unicorns' gift shop. She proudly wore the team's logo as she talked about the good things the stadium provides, from affordable baseball games for families to community events like the Healthy Living Festival and food truck events.
'We're getting local players, we're getting local families, you're getting relatives of the families,' she said.
An alternate plan
Glen Carberry, a retired Norwich attorney and the man who originally pushed to bring baseball to Norwich, was also at the Monday meeting. He didn't make comments during the meeting, but told the public to revisit his presentation from May 2024, and provided text to the City Council on his plan to progress with the stadium.
Carberry's resolution would have Norwich issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) by June 30 for plans to either purchase the stadium or lease, operate and maintain it. The city would decide on which RFP is best by Oct. 31. Carberry also gave a sample RFP from Zebulon, North Carolina, for its Five Count Stadium, which Norwich could model its Dodd Stadium requests on.
Carberry said after the meeting that seeing residents advocate for Dodd Stadium is a good sign, especially as changes in stadium standards and the creation of new Minor League teams could lead to a return of professional baseball.
'It serves a role, and if the city keeps an open mind, they can find a constructive way to make necessary repairs and keep baseball and other events there,' he said.
This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Norwich City Council may put Sea Unicorns stadium up for sale
