Mayor Domenic Sarno joined U.S. Rep. Richard Neal and members of the Westfield Starfires to celebrate $4 million in renovations at the “iconic” Walker Memorial Grandstand baseball stadium.
Reminder Publishing photo by Ryan Feyre
SPRINGFIELD — When officials gathered on a beautiful sunny day at Walker Memorial Grandstand inside Forest Park on June 16, they spoke of the field’s historical greatness and its ability to make one feel like they played in the major leagues.
Now, after approximately $4 million in renovations, the city has a stadium that carries that greatness on for decades to come.
“We put a lot of extra money and time into the field,” said Parks, Buildings and Recreation Management Director Tom Ashe. “I think we have a gem of a ball field here that’s really going to attract some teams to play in it. We’re hoping that’s the end effect.”
In an interview with the media, Ashe said the renovations — which began last October — included a “total gut” of the stadium, including repointing of the bricks, refurbishments on the grandstand’s roof and restoration of the dugouts to make them more accessible.
“Before, they had drainage in [the dugouts] which didn’t work,” Ashe said. “But now it’s got drainage, and they are accessible to everybody.”
Maybe the most popular addition to the field — especially for power hitting baseball players — is the insertion of a major-league level fence featuring dimensions of 400 feet in dead center field and 330 feet in right and left fields.
According to Ashe, the inclusion of the fence will hopefully attract quality teams to the field.
“I thought the fence was an important component [of the renovations],” Ashe said.
The improvements to the stadium were made possible because of $1 million from the city and $3 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to Mayor Domenic Sarno.
In his remarks on June 16, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal (D-Springfield) called the project a “tasteful restoration” and emphasized the historic lineage linking multiple generations to the field.
“The mayor used the word ‘iconic’ twice, and while I tend to think that the word ‘iconic’ is overused in the political vocabulary today, he’s right; this is iconic,” said Neal, who added that he and his children played at landmark. “On occasions like this, I think we have a chance to celebrate the future, but also to embrace some very pleasant memories.”
Springfield’s Director of Capital Asset Construction Peter Garvey said the place “really needed the work that was done,” especially after years of patchwork. The field almost came down in 1993 and was condemned in 1999, he said.
But thanks to new masonry and ADA-compliant renovations, the stadium is now ready for countless baseball games in the coming years.
“It’s very good we’re able to maintain that history,” Garvey said. “[It’s] just a wonderful project; one of the good ones.”
In addition to the new renovations, Sarno said the city plans to name the field’s scoreboard after the longtime legendary sportswriter for The Republican, Garry Brown.
During his remarks at the June 16 celebration, Sarno emphasized the importance of these renovations for the coming generations and shared the jubilant feelings he felt when playing on the field for the High School of Commerce.
“This is something that’s near and dear to my heart for youth development,” Sarno said. “Having played the game of baseball for many years … [playing on the field] was a big deal because you felt like you were playing in the big leagues. To have this iconic field redone really sends a message.”
To celebrate the new renovations, Walker Memorial Grandstand hosted the Starfires for their free Summer Classic game on June 22 with special activities including live music and a free baseball clinic.
