STATEMENT – The baseball season is in full swing and there is tremendous excitement in the D.C. area as the Nationals and Orioles are at or near the top of their divisions and they just had a great inter-league series this past weekend.
On the Hounds front, there continues to be tremendous activity and preparation to bring a Ballpark to Loudoun County. As part of the effort we are working on, in April I had the pleasure of joining Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott York and a small business delegation to our sister county in Germany, Main-Taunus-Kreis. This working trip focused on the great opportunities that exist to introduce more European-based businesses to Loudoun County, especially with Dulles International Airport being such a key driver. I was speaking to the quality of life in Loudoun County and that VIP and the Hounds will only make Loudoun County that much more enjoyable. We did receive tremendous positive feedback that I believe will bear fruit in the near future. We also had the pleasure of meeting with our “sister baseball team,” the Redwings, and establishing a relationship that will, hopefully, see an international relationship develop while exchanging ideas and programs that would be mutually beneficial to all of us.
Speaking of the future, it is imperative that I take a few moments and update you on where the Hounds stand. We are excited to report that our developer continues to make progress on the critical road system necessary to get our fans to the Ballpark. There will be an important vote in mid-June of the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) on the extension of Pacific Boulevard and the two crossings of the Broad Run at Nokes/Gloucester and at Russell Branch/Pacific. This vote will be followed up by additional due-diligence of the Virginia Secretary of Transportation that should wrap up by late summer/early fall, according to the CTB. We do support all of the efforts to get these critical roads completed.
With the fact that construction of the road system cannot begin for several more months, it is becoming more and more clear that 2013 is slipping away for the Hounds and until there is more certainty, we are taking down the countdown that is on our website until such time we can demonstrably indicate a real timeline. We are disappointed to be doing this, but we remain no less committed to working with the developer to getting the Ballpark done. We are working on modifications to all of our planning to get baseball into Loudoun County ASAP.
As soon as there is more news or additional clarity to the situation, I will update all of our fans. We are working on numerous contingencies to help us be as prepared as possible once we can satisfy all of the conditions that we are facing. Be assured, we are doing all that we can to bring baseball to Loudoun County.
Respectfully,
Bob Farren
President and CEO
VIP Sports & Entertainment and The Loudoun Hounds Professional Baseball Club
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