Preserving Greensboro’s baseball stadium | Vault Visit [Video]

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Last month…WFMY News 2 turned 75! So, every day we’re opening the WFMY News 2 vault. 

On Sept. 12, 2002, a battle was brewing over Greensboro’s baseball stadium. 

The Greensboro Bats played at War Memorial Stadium. Action Greensboro wanted to build a new stadium. The Aycock neighborhood association wanted to renovate the War Memorial Stadium.

Then, a man named Bill Burckley started a petition for a third option, preserve the old stadium.

“There’s passion, there’s a tremendous amount of passion for War Memorial. There is no passion for a downtown stadium.”

Signed petitions piled up in Burckley’s office. If successful, it would have let people choose whether or not to change zoning laws to forbid a new baseball stadium downtown.

Of course, we know the outcome. The First National Bank field was approved and built. The stadium opened its gates on …