Venue Detail
Winston-Salem Dash
RSV Pro Facilities Report
March, 2013
Winston-Salem Dash
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951 Ballpark Way Winston-Salem, NC 27101 Phone: 336-759-2233 Fax: 336-759-2042 URL: www.wsdash.com Owner: Billy Prim League: Carolina League, Southern
Venue
BB&T Ballpark, 951 Ballpark Way, Winston-Salem, NC 27101 Owner: City of Winston-Salem Managed by: Team Built: 2009 Capacity: 5,500 Concessionaire: Legends Hospitality Management Soft drink:
Naming rights
Sold to: BB&T Corp. Term: 15 years Expires: 2025
Ticket prices
Season tickets range from $630 to $770 Single tickets range from $9.00 to $9.00
Attendance
2010 average attendance: 4,592 2011 average attendance: 4,662 2012 average attendance: 4,428
Suites
Quantity: 16 Price: $10,000 to $33,000 Seats: 16 to 16
Club seats
Quantity: 740 Price: $2,450 to $2,450
The Dash -- formerly theWarthogs -- and the city came together on a $170 million plan for a ballpark, retail and residential complex on the edge of downtown. Unfortunately, the team’s ownership then fell apart and the project stalled as construction was well underway.
As a result, the Winston-Salem City Council agreed to take over ownership of the downtown ballpark and lease it back to the Dash for 25 years.
The change was part of a new deal with Billy Prim, the local entrepreneur who owns the Winston-Salem Dash, the Class-A minor-league team that will play in the new ballpark. His firm, Brookstown Development Partners and Sports Menagerie will pay property taxes on the ballpark and will be responsible for maintenance.
Construction work on the ballpark had been stopped for months as Prim negotiated a buyout with his former partner and brother-in-law, dot-com entrepreneur Andrew “Flip” Filipowski. The council approved additional financial help for the ballpark.
The city borrowed $12.7 million to buy the land under the venue and help pay for construction costs to finish the ballpark.
The city financed its share of the $11 million, but did not use existing tax dollars. The city paid its share of the $1 million annual finance payments from several sources, including: annual payments by Wake Forest University, which bought Ernie Shore Field; $350,000 in annual surcharges on tickets, a figure guaranteed by Sports Menagerie regardless of team attendance; additional tax payments on the 9-acre stadium site; and money from the city's economic development fund. Ernie Shore Field is the team’s current home. It was sold for $5.5 million.
Likewise, Sports Menagerie used a variety of finances, including private financing, federal grants, a loan from the non-profit Millennium Fund and other means to pay its share of the ballpark.
The new ballpark has two suites for game-day rental to groups of 16 to 32 fans.
Founders Club memberships are $2,310 per season. Club seats are $33 per game and club tables are $37 per person per game. (Baseball, Facilities, Financial, Professional Sports)