Auburn, NY officials are contemplating a $3 million proposal to upgrade Falcon Park, home of the Auburn Doubledays (Short Season A; NY-Penn League), into a facility that can host multiple sports.
Discussions are taking place between the city and Cayuga Community College (CCC) about a plan to make Falcon Park more suitable for multiple types of sporting events. As part of the proposal, the city would float a $3 million bond to cover the improvements–which would include a new synthetic turf field–while the college would pay for use of the facility.
Multiple CCC athletic programs could play in the renovated Falcon Park, including its men’s and women’s soccer teams along with its baseball team. There are still some steps to complete before an agreement can be finalized, but if it is approved in a timely fashion, officials will work to begin construction this fall and complete the renovation prior to the Doubledays’ 2019 season. More from The Auburn Citizen:
In order to finance the cost of the renovations, the city would need to take out a $3 million bond. The city would foot the entire bill for the project, though the college would pay to use the facility in the future and that would offset the renovation and maintenance costs incurred by the city, [City Manager Jeff] Dygert said.
Councilors did not take any official action to move the project forward on Thursday. Next week, they will vote to approve the bond ordinance. Then, if the city and the college are able to come to an agreement, the council will have to approve the contract before construction can begin. Dygert said he hopes an agreement will be made in the next two to three weeks. If no agreement is reached, the money will not be spent.
“We’ve got a ways to go, this is kind of a placeholder for us,” Dygert said of the bond ordinance.
Dygert explained that the reason the council must authorize the bond before the agreement is finalized is because the city only goes out to bond several times a year. The project will have a tight deadline, as all work would need to be done before the Auburn Doubledays kick off their 2019 season.
If it is completed, the Falcon Park renovation would also mean that the facility is used for more dates beyond the Doubledays’ slate in the summer months.