Dayton Dragons president Bob Murphy and executive vice president and assistant general manager Brandy Guinaugh presented their annual report to the Montgomery County commission on Tuesday.
In 2022, Dayton Dragons owners Palisades Arcadia Baseball announced $20 million in improvements to the ballpark, prompted by maintenance and changes to MLB requirements for minor-league licensees.
Murphy said replacing the field was a large off-season undertaking. The field was gutted last fall, and all drainage was replaced. Other field work included laying down a layer of stone and adding sand.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, the cost of the field work was estimated at $1.2 million. After the pandemic, the new cost was $2.1 million, Murphy said.
The stadium also had to replace all of the outfield wall padding to meet new MLB requirements, Murphy said.
A new sound system that includes 484 speakers throughout the stadium will also be used at the ballpark this season, and the 25-year-old stadium roof was also completely replaced.
An energy-efficient heating and air system was also installed at the stadium.
The ballpark has an annual economic impact of $27 million, Murphy said. Nearly $3 billion in development has occurred in and around the stadium, he added.
“We have all these community partners that believe in this region and support the great things that are happening in the region,” Murphy said.
The baseball team’s owners are contributing to all of these improvements, and the state has also funneled money to the upgrades. The Montgomery County commission last year approved $4 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to go toward the improvements to Day Air Ballpark. The Dayton City Commission in 2022 also approved $6 million for the project.
“It’s such a nice blend of family entertainment, and a real economic driver here in our community,” said Montgomery County commissioner Carolyn Rice. “It’s really a great way for all of us to implement our missions, and for our community to be better off.”
The city of Dayton owns the baseball stadium and the plaza at its western entrance, as well as the land beneath the facility.
During the pandemic, the stadium did not host a baseball game for about 617 days. The ballpark did not reopen until May 2021.
U.S. Department of Treasury rules give local governments broad leeway in spending American Rescue Plan funds, noting only a few specifically ineligible uses. Included in this is the construction of convention centers, stadiums, or other large capital projects intended for general economic development or to aid impacted industries.
The county hired law office Bricker Graydon to determine if financial assistance to Day Air Ballpark with ARPA dollars adhered to the guidance from the U.S. Treasury. The law office found ARPA funds could be used to help offset tourism, travel and hospitality industry assets, towards COVID-19 mitigation and infection prevention measures, and as mitigating the financial hardship of a small business, according to the commission.
Murphy said more work is ahead for improvements to the stadium in future offseasons, including the construction of a new batting tunnel and the replacement of all stadium seats.
The Dragons open the 2024 season on April 5 at Day Air Ballpark against the Lansing Lugnuts.
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