Vermont Mountaineers Staying in Montpelier
The Vermont Mountaineers, the current NECBL champions, will continue to call Montpelier Recreation Field home through at least the 2036 season. The City of Montpelier and the Vermont Mountaineers came to terms on extending the team’s lease for twenty more years.
Mountaineers General Manager Brian Gallagher stated, “We are extremely happy to know that going forward we can reassure our fans, volunteers, host families, sponsors and donors that the team will remain at this historic ballpark. The City of Montpelier has been very supportive over the years and we look forward to continuing to work together to make this facility one of the nicest in the NECBL.”
According to Montpelier Mayor John Hollar, “The Mountaineers are a tremendous asset for our community. In addition to the hundreds of thousands of dollars the organization has invested in the city's facilities, we benefit from thousands of out-of-town visitors each summer and the great recreational opportunity the team provides for families."
As a thank you, the Mountaineers have agreed to send two game tickets, good for any regular season game, out with every Montpelier tax bill each July through the term of the lease.
The team has invested over $550,000 into the city's property since 2003 and this past Fall laser graded the outfield to improve the playing surface and drainage. The organization is now starting to raise funds to improve fan safety by increasing the netting down the baselines. Gallagher stated “this is a priority of the board and we hope to have some of the areas done by opening day 2016 and more as we can afford to in future years.”
The Mountaineers have sent ten players on to Major League Baseball in their short history and you never know when you will be watching a future MLB star, such as former Mountaineer, current MLB All-Star, and Gold Glove winner AJ Pollock.
Mountaineer season tickets are now on sale and are good for all 22 regular season games as well as play-off games. Tickets are reasonably priced at $50 for students and seniors, $75 for adults and $130 for a family of four.
The NECBL northern division teams (located in Montpelier, VT, Hartford, VT, Keene, NH, Laconia, NH, Sanford, ME, North Adams, MA and Holyoke, MA) have all agreed to honor each other's season tickets. This is a huge win for those fans that like to travel to follow the team and should increase crowds at all locations!
