Hooker Field, home of the Martinsville Mustangs (summer collegiate; Coastal Plain League), will be upgraded this offseason with the installation of new artificial turf and drainage system.
The move wasn’t positioned as an improvement for the Mustangs; rather, it was sold as an improvement to benefit all users of the ballpark. From the Martinsville Bulletin:
Turf — as opposed to grass — will keep the infield level, which will make the city-owned baseball stadium more attractive for tournaments and other special events that will draw people from elsewhere, participants said.
Those people would stay at local motels, buy gas for their vehicles locally and eat in local restaurants or buy food in local stores while they are here, which would generate revenue that ultimately could prompt local businesses to create jobs, said Beth Stinnett, tourism assistant/film coordinator for the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corp. (EDC).
Last week, Martinsville City Council approved a roughly $230,000 maximum contract with Medallion Athletic Products of Mooresville, N.C., to replace the stadium’s infield grass with turf and install a new drainage system.
The new turf should be ready for the 2015 season.