The home of the El Paso Chihuahuas (Triple-A; Pacific Coast League) will be upgraded to meet new MiLB ballpark specs, as Southwest University Park improvements were approved by the city.
All in all, $5.8 million in Southwest University Park improvements was approved by the city, using ballpark revenues instead of money from the general fund. The ballpark is showing solid finances; no general funds are being used to cover debt. From KTSM:
“Under the agreement, the City is required to do improvements to the facility whether it be safety issues, new requirements from Major League Baseball, or just updating elements that have exceeded the useful life of the facility itself,” said Sam Rodriguez, chief operations officer:
He adds that there is no specific cap on the budget; however, this is the first year they won’t be using general funds to subsidize the ballpark debt.
We’re still seeing plenty of teams working to address issues caused by MLB imposing new facilities standards on MiLB teams. Will they all make it? We’ll see.