Devon Park (Softball Hall of Fame)

[Laramie]

Thanks Dan, appreciate very much you & many others who have wished me the best. It may take 6 to 9 months for me to get back on track--just glad to be out of the hospital & home.

[Pete]

Softball Hall of Fame Stadium to start $21 million expansion

On Tuesday, City Council authorized plans being put out to bid for $21 million in enhancements and expansion of the Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in northeast Oklahoma City.

Located directly north of the Oklahoma City Zoo, the improvements are part of a contractual obligation that will keep the Women's College Softball World Series in town through the 2035 season.

Public Works Director Eric Wenger told the council that work will commence as soon as the world series concludes this June, and will be build it two phases over a 2-year period.

For the 2019 world series the project will still be in progress with some temporary measures in place to assure the complex would still be usable.

Built in 1987, the stadium has been improved many times and now holds 7,300 spectators.

As a part of the 2017 bond program, the money was set aside to perform what has been labeled as Phase III and Phase IV.

Triad Design, which has done considerable previous work at the complex, is the architect and engineer of record and they enlisted a sports consulting firm to provide input on such areas as spectator site lines and the needs of the media and press.

The improvements will ultimately add an upper deck of 4,000 additional seats, bringing capacity to 11,300.

Other enhancements include new restrooms, suites, media areas and underground connection of team rooms to the dugouts.

The entire project is set to be complete before the 2020 world series.

[Plutonic Panda]

This is 2017 GoBond project, no? If so, it would be the first one to start?

[shawnw]

No, some streets have been started (started might mean engineering, etc, doesn't necessarily mean dirt turning)... at least, when I heard an Eric Wenger talk in February he said as much. There was something special about them, like there was some kind of other funding used to get the priority bond streets (those with a failing grade) started until the bonds sell. I forget the details. I have it on video but... would have to find that part...

[Plutonic Panda]

Okay cool. Glad they are starting work on this bond package so soon. It seems like it has taken them longer than it should have for the last one. They still aren't finished with a lot of projects.

[benjico]

This expansion will be great for the event, especially given how popular softball is becoming.

Wish they could've added some shade to those upper decks!

[Pete]

This is 2017 GoBond project, no? If so, it would be the first one to start?

Yes, GO Bond.

[warreng88]

Sorely needed. I really wish there was a master plan for the area that includes Remington park, the Zoo, ASA stadium and Zoo Amphitheatre (and yes, I know there are others). It seems like having something like that would be beneficial for all businesses in the area. I know it is labeled as the Adventure District, but I feel like it is just a label.

[LRSooner]

Maybe it's just me, but the expansion looks awfully generic to me. Very reminiscent to those 80's style stadium builds, big monolith concrete structures with zero character. Hoping those initial illustrations have been altered a bit.

[Laramie]

Oklahoman, Wednesday June 6:

Hall of Fame Stadium will look different next year Scott Wrightswright@oklahoman.com



Timeline for the next two major phrases 3 & 4:

Phase III of the stadium’s revamping will do away with the portable buildings being used as ticket booths, and the iron gates the fans pass through when they enter the Women’s College World Series.

Those will give way to a rock and brick facade with new ticket windows and entrances that lead into a modernized concourse.

Demolition work and new construction on the outer entrance and press box area will begin approximately July 1, shortly after the end of the World Cup of Softball, and will be wrapped up in time for the WCWS of 2019.

Phase IV will bring the most drastic change, adding upper-deck seating that will add more than 4,000 seats to the stadium that has been accommodating crowds of more than 8,000 per session at the WCWS over the last several years.

Those additions won’t come until the 2020 WCWS, which has a contract with Hall of Fame Stadium through 2035.#Oklahoman.

We will have invested roughly $30 million into this complex.

[Laramie]

Maybe it's just me, but the expansion looks awfully generic to me. Very reminiscent to those 80's style stadium builds, big monolith concrete structures with zero character. Hoping those initial illustrations have been altered a bit.

Agree, it is awfully generic. There just seems to be plans that address the current needs. OKC has built some quality venues of late like the Bricktown Ballpark & the Riversports Rapids.

Our downtown arena originally targeted the NHL on the lowest minimum possible , IIRC it was $89 million. That's was a major reason the NHL rejected OKC's 1997 expansion bid; NBA Supersonics' relocation required OKC to invest another $90 million into the current Peake.

Atlanta, Philips Arena $214 million
Nashville, Gaylord Entertainment Center $144 million
St. Paul, Xcel Energy Center $170 million
Columbus Nationwide Arena, $175 million

My point, our expectations when it comes to building quality facilities caters to the low budget generic side.

[d-usa]

I’m okay with building to low minimum specs as long as you build in a way that lets you expand if needed.

If we build the Peake to current Thunder specs without getting a team, people would be complaining about the giant waste of money.

[SoonerDave]

Maybe it's just me, but the expansion looks awfully generic to me. Very reminiscent to those 80's style stadium builds, big monolith concrete structures with zero character. Hoping those initial illustrations have been altered a bit.

Keep in mind these designs were probably created with a heavy emphasis on expeditious construction. Sometimes, form has to follow function. These upgrades are too important not to get done exactly on time.

[Laramie]

I’m okay with building to low minimum specs as long as you build in a way that lets you expand if needed.

If we build the Peake to current Thunder specs without getting a team, people would be complaining about the giant waste of money.

Understand this thread has drifted into uncharted waters.

That's a fair analysis d-usa. We set our sights on the NHL; landed a bigger fish with the NBA.

Tulsa gets it; they invested $196 million in the BOK Center, IMO it clearly outshines the Peake's exterior by a long shot. Tulsa doesn't have NHL or NBA, they replaced the Peake with the reputation of attracting reputable shows & entertainment that we enjoyed prior to the arrival of the NBA's Hornets-Thunder. Tulsa is now in a position to attract an NHL franchise which would benefit the state with another major professional team. They would attract season ticket holders from OKC & Wichita.



Let's understand that T-Town has no plans to live in Oklahoma City's shadow.

LRSooner nailed it. "...heavy emphasis on expeditious construction. Sometimes, form has to follow function. These upgrades are too important not to get done exactly on time."

Maybe as time closes in on 2035, OKC will be forced to build a state-of-the-art softball venue with a retractable roof to extend the WCWS event.

[BoulderSooner]

What are you taking about? Bok would need massive upgrades to host a nhl team. The inside of bok is severely lacking even compared to the peake.

[Laramie]

What are you taking about? Bok would need massive upgrades to host a nhl team. The inside of bok is severely lacking even compared to the peake.

What massive upgrades would BOK Center need?

Sure they will need upgrades; don't think they would be as massive as $100 million OKC had to undergo in order to be an NBA ready facility. Recall MAPS for HOOPS campaign that sealed the relocation efforts in 2008, residents approved another short-term, one-cent sales tax after the MAPS for Kids tax expired to fund arena improvements and build an off-site practice facility.

IIRC we went from a 19,300-seat facility to the present 18,203, a reduction of 1,100 seats, some of this had to do with the cup holder debacle in the premium court side seats.

[Rover]

Here we are, back to a Tulsa does it better thread. If that’s true, it is curious that OKC is growing much faster, has the state’s only professional team, is getting new businesses first regularly, etc., etc. must be dumb luck.

[Laramie]

Let's give Tulsa prompts when they do something well. Let's not forget the $350 million investment Oklahoma's 2nd richest individual George Kaiser has made to Tulsa's Riverparks in addition to being one of the recent Thunder owners replacing Tom L. Ward.

We are pulling for our two largest metro areas to succeed. OKC's MAPS &Tulsa's Vision 2025 are the economic engine boosts that has driven our two most populous cities' growth; without them you wouldn't want to speculate where our economies would be.

All economic indicators show OKC is on a much faster growth pace than our sister city. OKC's diverse economy made it possible to weather the recent oil surplus.

[HangryHippo]

Here we are, back to a Tulsa does it better thread. If that’s true, it is curious that OKC is growing much faster, has the state’s only professional team, is getting new businesses first regularly, etc., etc. must be dumb luck.

The BOK Center exterior blows the Peake's out of the water. How is that a Tulsa does it better thread?

[Bellaboo]

What massive upgrades would BOK Center need?

Sure they will need upgrades; don't think they would be as massive as $100 million OKC had to undergo in order to be an NBA ready facility. Recall MAPS for HOOPS campaign that sealed the relocation efforts in 2008, residents approved another short-term, one-cent sales tax after the MAPS for Kids tax expired to fund arena improvements and build an off-site practice facility.

IIRC we went from a 19,300-seat facility to the present 18,203, a reduction of 1,100 seats, some of this had to do with the cup holder debacle in the premium court side seats.

The seat reduction to 18,203 from over 19,000 was a result of the building of Loge seating in the end zones. It was stated that it was a huge increase in sales due to the advertising and upgrade to seats that came with 'food'. i know those tickets are in excess of $ 100 each per game. The BOK does not have the Media facilities, scoreboard, locker rooms, etc that meets professional standards.

But it's a pretty building.

[Laramie]

The Chicago Bandits professional women's softball team plays its home games at Rosemont Stadium.

The Dome at the Ballpark, this is one of two fields at the Dome at the Ballpark in Rosemont.

Bandits showcase new Rosemont stadium... http://www.dailyherald.com/article/2...ews/706049904/

OKC's proposed 12,500-seat ASA Hall of Fame Stadium would be the a mammoth facility to house a National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) franchise.

[Pete]

[Laramie]

WATCH Live


Watch the renovations unfold at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex - OGE Energy Field!

What are some of key features of the renovations?

Some of the upgrades fans will notice while others will happen behind the scenes.

In Phase III of renovations, which begins in July of 2018, demolition to the outer entrance and press box area will begin. When fans enter the Complex, they will be met by a beautiful rock and brick facade with new ticket windows and entrances to give the facility a more modern feel. For game day operations, a three-story press box will feature new interview rooms with tunnels leading from the team locker rooms, a broadcast booth and upgrades to existing technology infrastructure. Elevators, meeting rooms and additional media work areas will also be added.

In Phase IV of renovations, which will begin after the 2019 NCAA WCWS®, the seating capacity expansion will begin. Upper-deck seating will increase the capacity by an additional 4,000 seats while additional restrooms and suites will enhance the fan experience.

How are renovations possible?

Renovations to the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex - OGE Energy Field are possible following the 2017 Proposition 5 Bond package that was approved by the citizens of Oklahoma City in September 2017. This bond package, in addition to private funds raised, will allow for the two final phases of renovations to be completed in time for the 2020 NCAA Women's College World Series.

[shawnw]

Is it going to be done in time for the world series in May?

[Pete]

^
It is being done in 2 phases over the next 2 years. It will still be under construction but useable for this spring.

Took these on Saturday: