HolaDR.com: Everything About The Dominican Republic!

Murmurings have been consistent since the President’s 27 February address to the nation, but finally some concrete information has been announced about plans to build a new baseball complex in the DR. The Juan Marichal Sports and Cultural Center will cost more than US$100 million with private funding from the Caixa Geral (Portugal) Bank, Eximbank (US) and an unnamed Canadian bank. The Dominican state will contribute the land for the stadium in the La Fe area on the current site of the Quisqueya Ball Park and Teo Cruz Boxing Stadium, says Joaquin Jeronimo, general manager of the National Housing Bank (BNV), as quoted in Hoy. Geronimo said the project includes a 200-room hotel, a commercial plaza, an office building, a parking tower, baseball museum and a remodeled Quisqueya Park. The press release stated that work would start in February 2009, right after the end of the 2009 winter league tournament. Though privately funded, the museum and the renovated Quisqueya park would still be owned by the state, he says.