Scottsdale City Council approved the use of up to $900,000 from the Stadium Facilities Capital Improvement Fund for reconstruction of the Scottsdale Stadium’s outfield parking lot; expansion of the east practice fields; modifications to the existing half-diamond and bullpen; and the addition of an agility field with half-diamond at its Sept. 12 meeting.
The stadium at 7408 E. Osborn Road in downtown Scottsdale is where the San Francisco Giants play for spring training, and the facility is a partnership between the Giants, the city and the Scottsdale Charros.
“Scottsdale Stadium is critical to our mission to promote and fund critical needs for charities and education in Scottsdale. To Scottsdale residents the stadium means green grass, warmer temperatures, leaving work early, grabbing a hot dog with your family during the relaxed atmosphere of spring baseball,” said Dennis Robbins, executive director for the Scottsdale Charros. “Our unique location, the longevity of hosting a spring training team, the ability to promote the Cactus League and the culmination of our tourist season makes spring training baseball at Scottsdale Stadium very unique and special indeed.”
The upgrades are the first step in an ongoing master plan to improve the stadium, which underwent a $23.1 million renovation in 2006.
The city is taking steps to improve downtown Scottsdale as a whole, as other parts of the Phoenix metro, such as downtown Phoenix, have become more appealing as destinations.
Spring training is a major attraction for travelers. Cactus League spring training season has broken attendance records last year and the year before, with 1.94 million fans attending games. While the Chicagos Cubs drew the largest amount of attendees last year with 251,889 at Sloan Park in Mesa, the Giants also saw record attendance last year at 182,518.
–Steven Totten, Reporter, Phoenix Business Journal
Original article from the Phoenix Business Journal >