{"id":6585,"date":"2022-04-08T14:38:17","date_gmt":"2022-04-08T18:38:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=6585"},"modified":"2023-03-27T15:53:08","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T15:53:08","slug":"upgrades-to-durham-bulls-athletic-park-will-exceed-10-million","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2022\/04\/08\/upgrades-to-durham-bulls-athletic-park-will-exceed-10-million\/","title":{"rendered":"Upgrades to Durham Bulls Athletic Park will exceed $10 million"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When the City of Durham was asked to spend twice as much as expected to make improvements to Durham Bulls Athletic Park, the result was never really in question. But that didn\u2019t keep the council from debating the question when it met on Monday.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The city leases the Durham Bulls Athletic Park to the Durham Bulls team, and is required, under an agreement with Major League Baseball, to make upgrades to the Bulls\u2019 stadium by April 2025 in order to keep the Bulls in Durham.<\/span><\/p>\n With that in mind, the Durham City Council voted 5-0 Monday to spend an extra $5.35 million to renovate the ballpark, on top of the original $5.22 million it approved in June 2021, for a total cost of $10.57 million. The Durham Bulls are contributing $1 million in renovation costs but it\u2019s up to the city to cover the other $9.57 million.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n During a work session in March, John Paces-Wiles, senior project manager with the city\u2019s general services department, relayed that the upgrades will include renovations to player locker rooms, coaches\u2019 offices and a new batting tunnel.<\/span><\/p>\n Prior to Monday\u2019s meeting, Skanska, the company that won the bid for the project, reported to city officials that the higher costs resulted from the coronavirus pandemic, which has affected the entire construction industry. Costs for construction materials went up an average of 45 percent since March 2021, the company reported.<\/span><\/p>\n Though the council voted 5-0 to approve the additional expenditures, members were divided on whether the deal to keep the Durham Bulls, which was brokered with the council back in 2014, was truly worth the money.<\/span><\/p>\n Prior to the meeting, At-Large Council Member Jillian Johnson and Ward 3 Representative Leonardo Williams <\/span>debated the topic on social media<\/span><\/a>. The debate continued Monday as each member weighed in on the issue.<\/span><\/p>\n