This petition is a call to action for the City Council members of Kinston, NC. 

The town of Kinston is on the upswing after years of dilapidation and disrepair. The Down East Wood Ducks are a vital part of the framework of this revitalization. Our town has a beautiful stadium and one of the best teams in Class-A ball, playoffs in 2019 and the best manager in the Minor Leagues, according to Baseball America.

Grainger Stadium is a city-owned property, that means we all own it as residents of this town. We are landlords to the Texas Rangers and the affiliate team in which they own. As a part of the lease that the city has with the Rangers organization, we are obligated to have a working scoreboard for the 70+ home games. 

During the last game of the playoff schedule, the scoreboard failed and it needs to be fixed and our city council is failing to provide action in this measure! This petition is to show the council that this town loves their baseball team and the we will NOT sit back and allow another team to be moved from the area. 

Facts from a recent news article written by Neuse News:

The 12-year-old scoreboard crashed during the Wood Ducks' home playoff game against Fayetteville in September. City Manager Tony Sears met with Daktronics on site to review the bid and installation of a new LED video display, which could cost $624,100.

Sears said that a 10-percent contingency fee of $62,000 is needed in addition to the proposal. He said the number dramatically decreases based on potential grants and funds provided by the Kinston-Lenoir County Tourism Development Authority and the Lenoir Committee of 100.

The funding would come from an interdepartmental transfer from the Electric Fund to the General Fund. The General Fund would repay the Electric Fund with a $60,000 payment for ten years to fully reimburse the Electric Fund.

That's how the current scoreboard was funded in 2007.

Councilman Joseph Tyson made a motion to approve the proposal and the contingency fee to satisfy the agreement according to the contract with the Wood Ducks. His suggestion was not seconded.

"We put a lot of time into getting a baseball team in Kinston, and if we can't show approval to the owners who invested millions of dollars into this, and we lose the Wood Ducks, Kinston will never have another baseball team," Tyson said. "And you will still own Grainger Stadium. You're going to have to still pay to keep Grainger Stadium up.

"You'll own a stadium with nobody in there."

Further Facts:

The MLB has notified the PRIVATE owners of Minor League teams that there will be a restructuring of the Minors and a reduction of teams. The Wood Ducks are NOT on this list as they are owned by the Texas Rangers organization.

This team will continue to exist, whether here in Kinston, or in another nearby city. Do NOT be so naive to this to think that nearby towns are not already in observation of the inaction of the Kinston City Council and preparing their own proposals to bring the Wood Ducks to their town.

The financial impact of the team to our town is crucial for the continued development of the downtown area. Revenue from hotel stays, food/beverage and entertainment is what gives the town jobs for residents, as well as tax revenue to improve the infrastructure of the town to provide a quality of life for its residents. Most folks with common sense can see this and we need to have our voices heard.

THE TIME HAS COME FOR THIS TOWN TO PUT IT'S FEET DOWN AND STAND UP FOR WHAT WE NEED!