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August 7, 2003TC a hit with officialsRepresentatives from Frontier League are 'impressed' with areaByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - The Wuerfel family's dream of bringing minor league baseball to Traverse City has moved one step closer to reality. John and Lesyle Wuerfel, along with their oldest son, Josh, hosted several officials from the independent Frontier League on Wednesday - less than two weeks after the Wuerfels' plans went public - and both sides called the meeting "positive."
"We believe there is tremendous potential for minor league baseball here," he said. "I like the vibrancy of the market. I believe Traverse City could be a tremendous asset to our league." Lee was joined by Leo Trich, the Independent League's director of development, and John Swiatek, president and CEO of the Washington Wild Things, a Frontier League team from the Pittsburgh area that would have the longest road trip if Traverse City became a member. Lee said he was impressed by the Wuerfels' enthusiasm and desire to give something back to the community. Unlike previous baseball groups that had hoped to bring professional baseball to northwest Michigan, the Wuerfels are not asking for any financial support from the community. They plan to finance the $6 million project on their own. "The Wuerfels are quality people," Lee said. "I believe they're exactly the kind of people we want involved in our league. They love the game and they love the community that has meant so much to them." Josh Wuerfel said the family has been granted an "introductory meeting" with Elmwood Township officials on Tuesday, Aug. 19 to discuss the possible re-zoning of 45 acres of land at the corner of M-72 and Bugai Road. The parcel will have to be re-zoned from its current "agricultural open space" before the Wuerfels would be allowed to be build a 4,000-seat stadium on the site. Josh Wuerfel said the township has scheduled a public meeting to discuss the issue on Tuesday, Sept. 9. "We're excited," he said. "Everything is going well. We're keeping the momentum going." The Wuerfels are optimistic about the outcome of the meetings - "The response has been about 100-1 positive to negative," John Wuerfel said - but they insist that the project will move forward, and another site would be chosen, even if the re-zoning isn't approved. "We're determined to make this happen," John Wuerfel said. "We believe this is something the families in our community would enjoy and appreciate." Lee said that if Elmwood Township approves the re-zoning and the Wuerfels begin construction on a stadium, the earliest they could join the Frontier League would be May 2005. The Frontier League plays a 90-game schedule that runs from around Memorial Day through the end of August. "There will be a franchise application process and a league-approval process," Lee said. "But once we get to that point, that will only take about a month." John Wuerfel said the only concerns he has heard from Elmwood Township residents involve stadium lights and worries about urban sprawl. "I think those are things that people will be OK with once they have all of the facts," Wuerfel said. "We'll only have 45 home dates, and they won't all be night games. And if you look at the site plans, 95 percent of it is green. We're even considering leaving some lawn parking to reduce the amount of blacktop. "The good of this project far outweighs the bad." The Wuerfels also announced that they have decided to call the team the Traverse City Cherry Bears. The family is already working on a logo and has plans for a kid-friendly mascot. "It may sound a little hokey, but we think it has great possibilities," John Wuerfel said. "We considered other nicknames, but we didn't want anything that was too tough or scary. "It's important to have a mascot that brings enjoyment to kids - one that could visit hospitals and schools and would fit right in with the Cherry Festival. We want it to reflect well on the community."
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