DAYTON — Those men and women you’ll see walking around wearing hard hats -- and not batting helmets -- beginning next spring will be construction workers getting to work on nearly $17 million in renovations to Day Air Ballpark, home of the Dayton Dragons.
The Dayton City Commission on Wednesday night OK’d its portion of the funding. That means Montgomery County and the Dragons are both willing to contribute to the needed changes.
>> Changes usher in 2022 season for Dayton Dragons
“It’s very exciting for baseball, for Day Air Ballpark,” club President Robert Murphy told News Center 7′s Molly Koweek. “We just can’t wait to get started.”
Infrastructure improvements will include a new roof, heating and air conditioning work, and plumbing.
There are all sorts of projects the team has lined up, Murphy said.
City Manager Shelley Dickstein said things have to be replaced as they age.
She said she is pleased the City Commission approved the $6 million in funding so the renovations can move forward.
Montgomery County is to kick in $4 million. The state’s share will be $1.5 million, the Dragons will chip in with $5 million and the ballpark’s catering service, Professional Sports Catering, comes to the table with $225,000.
“I think that’s the way things happen in Dayton,” Murphy said. “Nobody ever really does something by themselves. They always have other people there to help them and support them, and I would say we’re blessed, because we have the best stakeholders in this community.”
The Dragons started stadium construction 24 years ago. The park --- featuring 6,831 stadium seats, 27 luxury suites, seven permanent concession stands, 13 specialty carts and a seven-story LED scoreboard -- opened April 9, 2000.
Since then, Dickstein said, the facility has brought in an additional $1.5 billion in investments to the city and the region.
“For Dayton, for many years, we’ve had a learn, live, work, play strategy for downtown, and this is a really important part of that strategy, so we can continue to be the region’s playground, and have these entertainment amenities that draw people to Dayton,” she said.
Murphy said the projects should be completed in 2030.