The Brewers have "decided to commit long term" to Maryvale Baseball Park in Phoenix by putting up as much as $63M of their "own money to renovate the aging, outdated facility," according to Tom Haudricourt of the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. The Brewers and Phoenix city officials "presented a proposed agenda Thursday afternoon for approval by that city's council that would commit the team to continue holding spring training in Maryvale for another 25 years." The Brewers have "trained at the facility" since '98. If approved at a city council meeting next Wednesday, it would "green light the first significant renovation of a Cactus League facility primarily paid for by a team and be the second-longest lease in that circuit." The Brewers would "agree to invest" $41-63M in the project, with Phoenix paying $2M a year for the next five years. Under the proposal, the Brewers "would assume operation and maintenance of the facility," but Phoenix "would continue to pay current net operating costs" of approximately $1.4M per year. The Brewers plan to "begin construction immediately after spring training concludes" in '18 and "substantially complete the renovations before spring training begins" in '19. The centerpiece of the project would be a "65,000 square-foot clubhouse and office building that would house the major-league and minor-league clubhouses and training facilities as well as administrative offices" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 11/10).
