Spanish
Santo Domingo. - President Luis Abinader issued a decree this Wednesday creating a commission in charge of evaluating the feasibility of building a "modern" baseball stadium on state-owned land located in Ensanche La Fe, in the National District.
This stadium would be designed to meet the international standards required by the Major League Baseball (MLB), with a view to making the Dominican capital a potential venue for high-level events.
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In addition to the stadium, the commission will evaluate different projects that contribute to the integral development of the area, with the purpose of "strategically" taking advantage of these public lands for the benefit of sports, recreation, and urban revitalization, said the President's Press Office in a statement. "The Dominican Republic needs a sports infrastructure that matches its baseball tradition and its growing international prominence. This project aims to position the country as a destination capable of hosting (games of) Major League teams and boosting the urban economy," states the decree. The commission will be headed by former Supreme Court of Justice president Jorge Subero Isa and completed by the Minister of Sports; the general manager of the state-owned Banco de Desarrollo y Exportaciones (Bandex); the executive director of the National Baseball Commissioner; and the "outstanding" professionals Angélica Noboa Pagán, Elka Shecker Mendoza, Olivo Rodríguez Huertas and Edgar Torres Reynoso, who will serve as executive director. The presence of legal experts in its composition guarantees a rigorous evaluation of the legal aspects of the development, the presidential note pointed out. The commission will report directly to the President of the Republic and will have an administrative attachment to the Ministry of Finance. Its work will be temporary and will conclude once the objective of the decree has been fulfilled. With this initiative, the Dominican government reaffirms its commitment to the sports, urban, and economic development of the capital, betting on high-impact projects that articulate public and private investment to positively transform citizen life, the information concludes. In those grounds is located the Quisqueya Juan Marichal Stadium, built in 1955, as well as a private children's baseball league. Also located on the site is the main headquarters of the General Directorate of Transit and Ground Transportation Safety (Digesett) and a large parking area. For about 20 years, sectors linked to baseball have made requests and presented projects for the demolition of the Quisqueya Juan Marichal and the construction of a stadium with the characteristics contained in the Palacio note. Other sectors have opposed the project, alleging that the State would have to make a disproportionate investment.
