Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — After years of waiting and speculation, the University of Utah may soon start the construction of a new baseball stadium on campus to host its team.
On Tuesday morning, the university's board of trustees met and voted upon a recommendation from university President Taylor Randall to approve a new baseball stadium on the site of the program's current practice facility on Guardsman Way.
"I'd like to thank the trustees for their approval to move forward with this important project to support our baseball program with a stadium on our campus," Athletics Director Mark Harlan said in a statement. "We have incredible engagement from donors, and we are actively working to reach our fundraising goals."
While the question of whether the university would ever build a baseball stadium has remained unanswered for years, the relocation of the Salt Lake Bees from downtown Salt Lake City to Daybreak — the Utes have shared the stadium with the Los Angeles Angels' Triple-A affiliate at Smith's Ballpark since 1996 — made it of "critical" importance for an on-campus stadium and prompted the decision.
The vote was "requested to authorize the university to design, bid, and award a construction contract to complete this project." The vote now gives "contingency approval for the project," which means the university can work to secure the funding and planning for the stadium.
The university said it began looking for a stadium site more than a decade ago that initially focused on eight sites. But after a study was conducted in 2019, the university narrowed it down to five locations before eventually settling on the proposed location on Guardsman Way.
The proposed stadium is expected to seat 1,200 fans — the Utes average just over 300 people per game — and will feature a training facility that will include indoor batting and pitching cages for the baseball team, in addition to other amenities. The total project is expected to cost around $35 million and will be "funded by donations."
Because the new stadium would be near residential housing, the university said in a presentation deck for its board that it would "address the concerns of our neighbors in the surrounding community" with netting to prevent foul balls, berms in the outfield to keep the noise in, and an audio and lighting system that would be focused to keep noise and light inside the stadium.
"Noise, light, safety and traffic have been the consistent concerns raised, and our design addresses each of these factors," said Robin Burr, the university's chief facilities officer. "This new design is also scaled back from proposals and fits nicely on the space we have designated."
The university also intends to make the field synthetic turf, which will allow the university to rent it out to various entities, such as high school games, baseball leagues, and football tailgates, among others, for additional revenue opportunities.
"We look forward to working with our neighborhood partners to construct the best facility for our program, our fans, nearby residents and Salt Lake City," Harlan said. "Providing a turf baseball field in Salt Lake City, intended for joint usage with the community, will be a tremendous asset that benefits all levels of baseball in Salt Lake City."
The proposed field would be 330 feet to the left and right field poles, and 400 feet to center field. The left field wall would also feature a 30-foot wall.
The university intends to have the stadium completed ahead of the 2025 baseball season, which is the first season the Utes are expected to no longer have access to Smith's Ballpark.
Tomorrow, the University of Utah's board of trustees will discuss whether it will build a baseball stadium.
— Josh Furlong (@JFurKSL) April 10, 2023
Expected: $35 million
Here's also some proposed looks of the stadium (and location). pic.twitter.com/3v39AKV0ZL
New football lockers
Among the items that were considered at Tuesday morning's board of trustees meeting was the recommendation to replace the lockers in the football facility.
"The scope of work includes design, manufacture, and installing of new locker systems, as well as associated electrical work, flooring adjustments, and finishes around the new locker systems," the agenda said.
The project is expected to cost $1.6 million and will be funded by the athletic department, according to the meeting agenda.
