See What’s Left of Fairgrounds Field in Shreveport

SHREVEPORT, LA - The clock is now ticking to get the old Fairgrounds Field baseball stadium in Shreveport completely torn down. The facility has been quite an eyesore right on the interstate in the heart of the city.

Fairgrounds Field was opened in 1986 after voters approved a bond issue to fund the stadium. It was built to replace the aging, historic Spar Stadium.

The stadium had a seating capacity of just over 4,000.

It played home to several baseball teams including the Shreveport Captains and the Shreveport Swamp Dragons. The stadium was also the site of a couple of Texas League All Star Games.

How Much Were the Bids for Demolition?

The city got 4 responsive bids for the tear down. Those bids ranged from $334,000 to $400,000 dollars. Shreveport has budgeted $600,000 from American Rescue Plan funding to pay for this demolition, so this bid is considerably under budget.

The lowest responsive bidder came from Lloyd D Nabors at $334,000.

The contract calls for a 60 day demolition. The Mayor hoped to have the stadium torn down before the Independence Bowl, but the start of the work was delayed until after the State Fair wrapped in November.

The Nabors team moved in and set up fencing and equipment and kicked off the demolition on November 26. That means by the end of January, the stadium should be gone.

But I'm sure the contract does have some built-in clauses for weather delays, but it also has penalties if the work is not completed in a timely manner.

The company has been moving full steam ahead and as you can see from these photos, they are nearly complete.

Read More: Fairgrounds Field Demolition Officially Begins

More than 90% of the debris from the demolition will be recycled. The Nabors group has been putting the concrete in separate piles from the steel sections. They are apparently selling those items to recycling companies that put steel and concrete back into use for other projects.

Mayor Tom Arceneaux moved on the plan to demolish the ballpark after the legal issues were over.  He told KEEL News, that even if Fairgrounds Field was renovated, it still wouldn't meet the needs, or requirements of professional baseball, even for the minor leagues.

Friends of Fairgrounds Field tried to stop the demolition and even filed suit against the city, but their efforts were not successful.

The group is expected to stay active and become focused on the entire area and might change their name to "The Friends of the Fairgrounds". A spokesman has told us they want to see the property used to enhance that neighborhood.

We recently visited the site and found the work nearly complete. There is only one wall yet to be demolished.

We even saw crews out there working in the rain this week. They are working against the clock to meet the deadline.

As a regular visitor the the ballpark back in the 80's and 90's, this is sad. But I understand there was just no future for the ballpark. It really would have cost too much to get it back into use.

Demolition opponents tried to stop this process, but they never came up with money to refurbish the stadium.

What Was the Legal Fight About?

Friends of Fairgrounds Field questioned the use of American Rescue Plan funding for this demolition project. They tried to get Louisiana's U.S. Senators involved. They also called on the Governor to intervene.

The group also raised concerns about the handling of bat guano at the stadium.