The City of Asheville announced on Apr. 20 the completion of major renovations at HomeTrust Park, just in time for the Asheville Tourists’ home opener and the centennial celebration of McCormick Field.
The renovation project is significant as it brings the ballpark up to current Major League Baseball Player Development League standards and enables the facility to host non-baseball events throughout the year. The upgrades were made possible through a partnership with Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, Buncombe County Government, and the Asheville Tourists Baseball Club.
Improvements include an expanded ticketing building with new team store facilities, upgraded home team clubhouse featuring new female locker rooms, enhanced weight spaces, restrooms, kitchen and dining areas. The park also now features a new video board with streaming capabilities, 93 LED sports light fixtures, accessible ramps, an expanded concourse, and new group service areas.
According to project data released by city staff, construction involved 180,488 total hours worked by 615 different workers across 62 subcontractors. Other notable statistics from the project include over 850 porta potties emptied during construction and sightings of thirteen black bears on site.
Asheville’s City Hall at 70 Court Plaza serves as its central administrative hub for municipal operations according to the official website. The city uses its City Plans initiative for long-term community engagement and planning to foster sustainable growth and equitable development according to the official website. It operates under a council-manager government structure with a mayor and six city council members serving four-year staggered terms to oversee policy according to the official website. Municipal services are delivered within city limits according to the official website, coordinated among departments such as Public Works, Water Resources and Planning according to the official website. Elected officials set policy while a city manager handles daily operations in this council-manager form of government according to the official website.
Tickets for tomorrow’s season opener are sold out but remain available for future games via TouristsTickets.com.
