Renovation plans to Blair Field, home of the Dirtbags baseball team, will cost more than originally expected, Long Beach State officials said.
The plans were unveiled at the Long Beach State baseball Leadoff Dinner banquet in late January.
It was initially reported that the plans would cost between $8 million to $12 million, but that number has since risen.
“It’s going to be more than that, probably closer to $20 million,” associate athletic director Bill Brady said last Friday.
There is no timetable for the construction to begin until the finances are secured.
The athletic department will reach out to its donors and alumni to cover the cost, as well as explore naming rights to various parts of Blair Field.
“We are not going to ask students (to help with the cost),” athletic director Vic Cegles said Tuesday.
The plans call for major improvements of four distinct areas to Blair Field, Brady said. He added that any renovations would not interrupt games.
One area planned for improvements is down the left field foul line, where a new practice infield would be put in place of the current picnic area. It would also double as a play area for children during games.
A practice infield, along with changes to the parking lot, would take about 14 months, Brady said.
Just off the right field foul line, the plans call for administration offices to be built in a two-story building. Adjacent to the offices would be a new press box as well as six suites — two large and four smaller ones — on the second floor.
“The money for the capital improvements will come from private sources,” Brady said
Five batting tunnels would also be added to where the visiting team’s bullpen is now. The bullpen would then be moved further down the right field line to behind the wall.
LBSU had HKS Sports and Entertainment and Steinberg Architects put the renderings together over the past six months. HKS is known for designing the new Cowboys Stadium that hosted last Sunday’s Super Bowl, as well as Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts.
The sketches are just a general outline but none of the renovation plans are official, Cegles said.
“It’s just a master plan, a general architect of what we want to see happen,” Cegles said. “Until we generate funds, nothing is going to happen. That money doesn’t come in overnight.”
Sports editor Tracy McDannald contributed to this report.
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