Maricopa County Stadium District Approves Tentative Budget

Published: Monday, May 22, 2017 - 3:57pm
Updated: Tuesday, May 23, 2017 - 7:06am
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Matthew Casey/KJZZ
Chase Field in downtown Phoenix.

The Maricopa County Stadium District has unanimously approved a roughly $10.3 million tentative budget for the next fiscal year, and officials will vote on an official budget in June.

“Well, we are in the season of baseball,” said Denny Barney, chairman of the board of directors for the district. “So it’s good to see the stadium operational and active. The D-Backs are winning.”

Barney did not mention the lawsuit by the Arizona Diamondbacks, or the district’s effort to have the case dismissed and sent to arbitration.

If the budget doesn’t change, the district will spend about $4 million on concrete repairs to Chase Field, which is about 2 percent of the $187 million total maintenance and repair price tag given by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“It’s just a continuation of our efforts having to do with concrete repairs, structural repairs,” said Daren Frank, executive director for the district. “Having to deal with corrosion we have in the ballpark based on operating of the stadium.”

Chase Field is still in “excellent condition,” Frank said. The repairs will likely continue for another five to seven years, depending on the extent of the damage and how much money is available.

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