Peoria Mayor Bob Barrett yesterday at the Peoria Sports Complex announced that the Mariners and the Padres “renewed a 20-year lease agreement that would have expired in 2014,” keeping the teams’ Spring Training home in the Arizona city, according to Sonu Munshi of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC. The announcement came after the city “agreed to upgrade the spring-training facilities at a $48 million price tag.” The new contract means the teams “will stay until 2034, instead of succumbing to the lure of another home in the Valley or the rival league in Florida.” Peoria will initially spend $30M “on rebuilding each of the teams' clubhouses over the next two years, including increasing the size.” Then, $6M will be “spent to enhance the fan experience, such as improved seating, a party deck and upgraded lighting.” Peoria will later spend another $6M each on “clubhouse and stadium improvements.” The city will be “repaid some money from a state fund but that won't happen for at least eight years.” Peoria interim Community-Services Dir Jeff Tyne said that the money spent on the complex “is worth the investment because of what the city gets in return.” Spring Training “brings $1.85million to the city annually from ticket sales and sponsorships” (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 3/6). MLB.com’s Corey Brock noted the “majority of the funding for the new clubhouses and stadium improvements will be raised through the Half-Cent Sales Tax Fund.” A large portion of Peoria's investment “will be reimbursed by the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority.” The city of Peoria “will front all financing costs” (MLB.com, 3/5). In San Diego, Bill Center notes Peoria Stadium will be “renovated following spring training in 2014.” Initial renovations to the Padres clubhouse “are budgeted for $15 million with the facility expanding from 38,000 square feet to between 56,000 and 60,000 square feet.” Another $6M in enhancements “will be made by the year 2028” (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 3/6).
