Bringing Elite Summer Baseball to New Buffalo
Dear New Buffalo Community,
We are standing on the cusp of an incredibly bright new chapter for our town and our schools. Following an extensive presentation at the Dune Coast Town Hall on June 4, I want to share the immense excitement and pride we feel regarding the future of Bison Field.
In April, the Board officially executed a multi-year lease agreement, partnering with Dune Coast Baseball to bring a premier Northwoods League summer collegiate franchise right here to New Buffalo for the Summer of 2027!
This partnership is a massive win for our community. It fulfills our strategic goal for community involvement, brings vibrant, family-friendly summer entertainment to Harbor Country, injects vitality into our local economy, and creates a crown-jewel facility for our area.
A 14-Month Public & Transparent Timeline
We value the trust of our community above all else. To clear up any misconceptions regarding the timeline and transparency of this project, here is the exact public record of this 14-month public process:
March 2025: The initial regional summer collegiate model was introduced in open, public sessions to both the New Buffalo Area Schools Board and the New Buffalo City Council. The Harbor Country News alerted the community with a dedicated feature article.
August & September 2025: The New Buffalo Times ran regular field updates across multiple weekly editions to keep residents informed.
Fall 2025: Formal public sessions regarding site alignment and field selection were held right at the high school complex.
October 2025 & February 2026: The district mailed a newsletter to every New Buffalo resident's home, highlighting the collegiate summer baseball partnership.
November 2025: The City Council hosted a formal public presentation to hear directly from the team owners, and the School Board voted in an open session to approve Phase 2 fundraising mechanisms.
Q2 2026: After more than a full year of public debate, media coverage, and community input, the multi-year lease agreement was officially executed by the Board in an open meeting.
Strict Administrative Oversight
Now that the lease is signed, our role has shifted from planning to strict administrative oversight. We are holding our partners to every single guardrail established to ensure a successful execution.
We are highly confident in Dune Coast Baseball. Team owner Brian Williams brings years of professional scouting experience, having visited hundreds of fields across the country. He knows exactly what works for top-tier baseball operations, and Dune Coast has thoroughly problem-solved every logistical detail.
Upgrades to Bison Field (At Zero Cost to Taxpayers!)
Our facilities team is already coordinating site logistics for $750,000+ in privately funded capital improvements coming to Bison Field.
100% Privately Funded: These elite upgrades are paid for entirely by the franchise at zero cost to New Buffalo taxpayers.
Permanent Assets: These upgrades will remain permanent assets of the school district for our own student-athletes to use.
Seating & Capacity: the official seating system currently under review features a capacity of 586 people total (198 premium chairback seats behind home plate, plus bleacher seating along the 1st and 3rd base lines).
Being a "Good Neighbor"
We take our responsibility to our surrounding neighborhood incredibly seriously. We have built strict operational guidelines into this partnership to protect our community:
Advanced LED Technology
We are partnering with Musco Sports Lighting, the global leader in sports lighting. Their state-of-the-art LED systems are explicitly engineered with directional shielding. This pins the light directly onto the playing field while protecting the night sky and our surrounding residential neighborhoods from light pollution and spillover.
Operational Curfews
Under our strict "Good Neighbor" policy, stadium lights will be turned off within 30 minutes of the final out. Most games will conclude by 9:30 PM. In the summer months, it doesn't get dark until after 9:30 PM.
Traffic & Parking Flow
Game-day traffic will be organized using school lots as primary parking. The team is fully funding parking staff to ensure a smooth flow. Traffic will be funneled directly to major arteries—US 12, Red Arrow Highway, and I-94—explicitly limiting traffic through residential neighborhoods.
At our recent high school graduation, we hosted between 300 and 400 attendees using these exact same parking lots. The event saw plenty of parking and zero traffic issues leaving the ceremony. We expect the exact same smooth experience for Dune Coast baseball games.
Future PA System Upgrades
While the lighting and seating plans are locked in, we have not yet begun procurement for a new PA system. When we reach that stage in the near future, we will approach it with the exact same level of neighborhood mindfulness, care, and fiscal responsibility.
Launching the Student Career Pipeline
Beyond entertainment, this partnership guarantees seasonal internships and jobs for our local youth and residents. This pipeline will offer hands-on, real-world vocational experience in:
Sports Management & Business Operations
Marketing & Event Planning
Live Media Broadcasting
Looking Ahead
NBAS Board made a deliberate, careful, and public decision to unlock massive capital reinvestment and career readiness for our students. We are moving forward out in the open, holding our partners accountable, and we look forward to welcoming you to the ballpark in Summer of 2027!
Go Bison!
Lighting Examples
