Little League keeps Morganton in play

Greenville eliminated; down to two cities

By: Sharon McBrayer | Morganton News Herald
Published: November 16, 2008

Morganton --

Greenville, S.C. is out of the running for the Little League southeast regional headquarters.
Now the competition is between Morganton and Warner Robins, Ga.
"Our Board of Directors made the difficult decision to narrow the field to Morganton and Warner Rob-ins today," Stephen D. Keener, president and CEO of Little League International, said in a release Friday. "Our Board of Directors was impressed by all the proposals. We are grateful to the leaders and citizens of Greenville, and we certainly appreciate their interest and enthusiasm.
"And now we look forward to working with Morganton and Warner Robins in the final phase in the selection process. The timeline for finding a new home for the Southeast Region Headquarters site is progressing well."
Little League officials met on Friday and notified Morganton officials by e-mail Friday morning that they would be getting a phone call sometime on Friday about a decision.
Gary Leonhardt, director of parks and recreation for the city, said he didn't know what the update would be and was nervous and excited.
He finally got the word from Little League's chief financial officer that Morganton was still being considered around 2 p.m. Friday.
Before Little League officials make a final decision, they will meet with Morganton officials. Leonhardt said a Morganton delegation that will likely consist of himself, Morganton Mayor Mel Cohen, City Manager Sally Sandy and City Attorney Steve Settlemyer will meet in a neutral location. He is just waiting to hear word from Little League on a time and day when that meeting will happen.
Leonhardt believes the meeting could happen in Charlotte. He will probably find out the details of the meeting this week, he said.
The meeting will be one to fine-tune the proposals and answer and ask any final questions, Leonhardt said.
"I'm glad to see us step through that next hoop," Leonhardt said.
Leonhardt said Morganton has a lot to offer Little League. The city and county's best asset, Leonhardt believes, is its people. That's been their biggest selling point, he said.
"I still feel confident we're going to get it," Leonhardt said. "I just hope we're not disappointed, because we'd sure love to see them come here."
Cohen said on Friday that he's extremely proud that Morganton is still in the game, and he looking forward to meeting with Little League.
A total of 18 cities in six states of the eight-state southeast region had originally submitted proposals to become the new home of the headquarters. In August, Morganton, Warner Robins, Ga. and Greenville, S.C., were chosen as finalists.
Little League is moving its southeast headquarters from Gulfport, Fla. after it sold the 12.8-acre property earlier this year to the local school system, according to information from Little League.
The southeast regional headquarters serves as the administrative center for Little League Baseball and Softball activities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.