Richmond seems to have gotten off easy, in relative terms, when it comes to renovations required at The Diamond to keep the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels in business until a modern ballpark opens.
Major League Baseball and its New York office in 2020 took over operational control of the minor leagues, which were governed by a separate minor league administration based in Florida. MLB instituted new stadium guidelines to be met at a gradual pace.
We have reached MLB’s get-it-done point.
By necessity, The Diamond is getting $3.5 million in improvements, and those city funds have gone to upgrades that, for the most part, will not enhance the fan experience.
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Those include fortification of The Diamond’s concrete supports, the addition of a second batting cage beneath the structure, locker room enlargement and modernization, plumbing improvements, new dressing quarters for women umpires and coaches, and more.
The MLB guidelines for minor league stadiums are largely designed to revamp work environments for players and staff members.
According to Trey Wilson, the Richmond Flying Squirrels’ director of communications and broadcasting, work has been nearly constant for several weeks in the tunnel area underneath The Diamond’s stands. That is where the second batting cage and the locker room additions are being constructed.
Municipalities with minor league franchises around the country are wincing and getting out their checkbooks, as Richmond has. Durham is on the hook for $10 million of improvements to its stadium. Reading is expected to spend twice that on its ballpark. The list of minor league teams that were required to make upgrades to comply with the new MLB standards by the start of this season is a fairly long one, with wide-ranging investments made.
It’s all part of the cost of doing business in the new minor league model run by MLB. Proceed with the upgrades, or lose the franchise.
This $3.5 million is Richmond’s cost, in some ways, of not making any major structural changes over the years to The Diamond, which opened in 1985. Many plans for fundamental alterations to The Diamond and new stadiums came and went since about 2000. They failed to mature because of funding concerns, disagreements on locations, or assorted other considerations.
While the city is financing this latest round of improvements to remain compliant with MLB, Richmond is also planning a new ballpark adjacent to The Diamond. That stadium is projected to open for the 2025 season, and it’s possible some of the components being added to The Diamond in this MLB-related upgrade phase will be transferrable. These latest improvements are expected to be completed by the start of this season.
Though the city will pay for these changes at The Diamond, the Flying Squirrels have contributed to several other projects at the ballpark, or entirely financed them, since they arrived for the 2010 season. From 2010 to 2017, the franchise spent about $3.3 million on improvements to The Diamond, according to the Flying Squirrels.
Here are some of the enhancements:
2010: the replacement of aluminum bench seating in lower bowl with fold-down seats, video board installation, construction of Squirrels Nest team store, creation of a batting cage in the tunnel below the seating area, creation of a weightlifting area connected to home clubhouse, renovation of offices, upgraded audio system and renovations of suites.
Capacity was decreased from 12,134 to 9,560 by large advertising banners draped over seating areas farthest from the field.
2011: scoreboard upgrade, installation of pitch-speed display, creation of upper-level party decks, new irrigation system installed.
2012: $100,000 field renovation with new drainage system.
2015: stage constructed over front steps, new food vendor areas created on main concourse.
2016: construction of Bullpen Bar.
2017: Bullpen at the Bistro created.
2018: protective netting extended to ends of dugouts, with padded outfield walls, enhanced lighting in parking lots, new sound system installed.
2019: new $250,000 video board, monitors through concourse installed, renovation of team store.
2020: new outfield wall, construction of Funnville Family Plaza.
2021: renovated radio booths.
2022: new field LED lights.
As the years have gone by since their arrival for the 2010 season, the Flying Squirrels pulled back on devoting significant resources to improvements at The Diamond with the understanding that a new ballpark was on the horizon.
The Flying Squirrels open at home, against Reading, on April 7.