Pittsburgh Pirates Officially Open New Pirate City Complex

By admin - Posted on February 22nd, 2008

02/21/2008 -- The Pittsburgh Pirates today officially opened the newly constructed Pirate City facility with a ribbon cutting ceremony in Bradenton, Florida. Pirates Chairman of the Board Bob Nutting, President Frank Coonelly and General Manager Neal Huntington were joined by the Honorable Wayne Poston, Mayor of Bradenton, city council members and current and former Pirates players for the ceremony.

The new complex will be the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Florida Operations, including the club's spring training and Rookie - Gulf Coast League Affiliate the Bradenton Pirates. It was designed to incorporate the same brick and steel façade as Bradenton's McKechnie Field and includes 80 dorm rooms for Pirates players and coaches. Additional features include two player recreational rooms, two classrooms, three suites, 14 offices and three conference rooms. The other players' facilities at Pirate City were greatly improved, including four renovated player locker rooms, one coaches' locker room, six batting cages with upgraded lighting and a renovated dining hall for up to 225 people.

The new Pirate City complex, which replaces the old dormitory facility that was last used in April of 2005, was funded by the city of Bradenton, the state of Florida and the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was designed by Bradenton-based Fawley-Bryant Architects and built by Bradenton-based NDC Construction and other local contractors.

"This complex is in many ways symbolic of the renewed strength in the ongoing partnership between the city of Bradenton, the state of Florida and the Pirates," said Nutting. "This would not have been possible if it wasn't for the hard work, energy and efforts of so many people, including Mayor Poston, members of the Bradenton City Council, the governor, state lawmakers and others."

The 2008 Spring Training season marks the Pirates 40th anniversary of hosting Spring Training in Bradenton, one of the longest standing partnerships in Florida's Grapefruit League. In addition to the opening of the new Pirate City, the 2008 Spring Training season also marks another milestone as McKechnie Field will host night games for the first time since it opened in 1923.

"The new Pirate City and improvements to McKechnie Field will prove to be great assets in helping to enhance our Spring Training operations as well as our role in driving tourism and economic development for advancement in the Bradenton area," said Coonelly. "It is also important that we continue to partner with local organizations in order to have a greater positive impact in meeting the needs of this community."

The Pirates will host numerous community activities and events during 2008 Spring Training season, including the inaugural Pirates Charities Spring Training Golf Classic on Friday, Feb. 22, to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County.

Source: MLB

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