Tiger Stadium preservationists notch more hits, line up construction funds

Tiger Stadium isn’t just hanging on anymore. A major part of the historic structure is well on its way to becoming something quite special. Excerpt: Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy progress report: The $4 million federal earmark, key to preserving what’s left of Tiger Stadium, is in the U.S. Senate’s Budget Committee. Thom Linn, president of the Conservancy, puts the earmark’s chances of passage at “extremely likely” and expects that to happen early next year. The Conservancy just finished making a presentation to the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation Monday that covered its design and feasibility plans. A financial feasibility presentation to the DEGC is scheduled for March. Linn expects the Conservancy to close on the field in the summer, start construction shortly thereafter and finish the project about 18 months later sometime in 2011. “This is a historic opportunity for Detroit and the region,” Linn says. “If we’re successful this will be the only pre-World War II baseball stadium that has been preserved.” Read the rest of the story here.