Is it time to expand the grandstand at Veteran's Memorial Baseball Field in Hutchinson? Members of the Hutchinson City Council may soon decide.
At a regular meeting this past week, Kyle Messner with the Hutchinson Huskies baseball team board asked the City Council to consider a contribution of $250,000-$300,000 to update the Dave Mooney Baseball Complex. Such a figure is expected to be about half the project cost.
The field dates back to 1985.
"It was decided by a few baseball people in Hutch that they wanted to start town team ball again," Messner said. "We didn't have it for a few years."
In 2019, the Huskies adopted VMF. The team mows the grass, preps the field, cleans up and provides labor to save on smaller projects. The city continues to provide field and bathroom supplies, and fixes major issues.
"This is one of the top ballparks in the state of Minnesota right now," Messner said.
Over the years, numerous projects have been tackled at the field. Among those projects, the Huskies and donations funded $240,112 in work and equipment purchases since 1986. The city of Hutchinson has also chipped in $263,566 since 2014.
The field also earns advertising revenue on the fence. Half goes to the city of Hutchinson.
“We’ve contributed, with that advertising, over $22,000 back to the city of Hutch," Messner said. “The money we make goes right back into the field.”
Why tackle a new grandstand project? According to a presentation to the City Council, the current grandstand:
- may not meed Americans with Disabilities Act regulations,
- has no handrails or handicap seating areas,
- seats around 250, and
- only has a covered middle section.
- have handrails,
- add six handicap seating areas, which would include cutouts for wheelchairs,
- seat 381,
- cover all seating areas, and
- have a press box in the middle section.
Messner said the Huskies draw 150-200 fans per night, depending on who the team is playing. Future opportunities were also highlighted with the presentation. A visit from Fox 9 Town Ball Classic in 2024 appears to be in the works, due to the Huskies’ involvement with the United Way.
“It’s a great opportunity to show off Hutchinson,” Messner said. “It’s just not about baseball, it’s about the community of Hutchinson, what Hutchinson has to offer.”
In 2025, Hutchinson will host its fourth state tournament over three weekends. Messner said the event will generate revenue for Hutchinson.
A calculation from the Hutchinson Economic Development Authority and the Hutchinson Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism estimated the 2016 tournament generated $460,000 for Hutchinson. The 2025 tournament is projected to generate $575,000 locally.
Hutchinson City Administrator Matt Jaunich said Hutchinson does not have the proposed project included in its current plans. It will be up to City Council members to mull over the proposal, and give staff direction.
“Since this is a field that we own, it would have to be a project that we would have to take on. So, it would have to go through the normal bidding process if we were to do it,” Jaunich said. “There desire is to try and get this done by the end of next season, so probably by the fall of 2024.”
