RICHMOND, Va. -- More than 60 people showed up to the city's meeting about the Diamond's future Thursday morning, and many, had an opinion.
"When you go there labels are gone, even if it's a rainy night and the game is cancelled, people stay because it's still a good atmosphere, and they love it," explained a 98-year-old Richmond City resident.
"I feel sad that the Flying Squirrels have become a politics ping pong ball," expressed another city resident.
And some felt all the time spent debating a ballpark's location, could be better spent.
"Here we are talking about how to develop an area for businesses and we are not spending this time on something that really needs to be fixed like education," said a woman who also lives in city limits.
In the past, Mayor Dwight Jones has been candid about the fact that he wants the diamond gone.
He and others that agree want to use the space to bring in more revenue.
"We've got to think about the economic development and the dollars that we are losing to the counties," said one city resident at Thursday's meeting.
Tripp Umbach, the survey company the city brought in to do studies on the Boulevard, said so far from their studies, the Diamond is not bringing much money into the city. They say according to their studies, if the city were to tear down The Diamond and use the space to build businesses and residential units, the city could make about $8 million a year.
Umbach conducted a survey during the meeting and 71 percent of people who voted said the Diamond should stay where it is regardless of what else is built on the Boulevard.
Another meeting will be held Feb. 4 at 6 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School at 1000 Mosby Street.
