Light Collapse Threat at Old A.C. Stadium

Officials secure area on Bader Field after a light pole becomes unstable

A light post at the old Surf Stadium in Atlantic City could be a threat to collapse and engineers were sent to the stadium Thursday to check it out.

NBC 40 first reported that the Atlantic City Office of Emergency Management was at the ballpark located off Route 40 at Bader Field to set up a collapse zone Thursday afternoon.

NBC10 later confirmed with an Emergency Management spokesman that one of six light poles had an integrity issue and could collapse like another light pole did last month. The other four poles were structurally OK.

Chopper 10 arrived on the scene around 4 to see the one pole down and crews blocking the entrance to the ballpark.

The stadium runs along a one block section of Albany Avenue (Route 40). There were no reports of injuries or major traffic problems.

The emergency management spokesman says the city is reaching out to contractors to get estimates on the cost of the repairs.

Officials say that a large-scale multicultural festival is planned for the stadium on June 1 and Phish is set to play the first of four music festivals at adjoining Bader Field two weeks later.

In its heyday The stadium hosted not only Atlantic City Surf baseball games but other events including NBC10's Vai Sikahema defeating baseball star Jose Canseco in a celebrity boxing match. But since 2009 and stadium has most gone unused.

The 5,000 stadium -- formerly known as Sandcastle Stadium and Bernie Robbins Stadium -- was renamed Surf Stadium last month and there was a $227,000 plan to install artificial turf at the stadium in time for a Labor Day baseball series, according to a report by the Press of Atlantic City.


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