Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish submitted today legislation to County Council seeking approval for funding renovations and improvements to Progressive Field. Legislation will be considered at the September 28th County Council meeting. If approved, the County would provide $9 million a year for 15 years to assist with significant renovations to the ballpark.
The County’s contribution to Progressive Field would come alongside investments from the City of Cleveland, the State and the team totaling $435 million. Reconstruction, refurbishment, renovations, upgrades and additional improvements will be made to the ballpark with these funds, and will also guarantee that the team will stay in Cleveland for at least 15 years.
“Over 1.7 million people attend baseball games a year in Cuyahoga County, and this pumps over $300 million into our economy year after year,” said County Executive Armond Budish. “By making renovations to the ballpark, we’ll be adding even more jobs to the area and ensuring the over 4,800 people employed in and around Progressive Field can keep working. I want to thank our partners from the City, the State and the Indians for their collaboration to make this happen—through their work we can modernize what is a substantial economic and recreational asset for Cuyahoga County.”
“The Cleveland Indians have been such a vital part of this region for decades, so working out a long-term lease agreement with them has been imperative,” said County Council President Pernel Jones Jr. “We are the smallest city with three professional sports teams in the entire country, and this shared partnership between the public and private sectors will keep the team here where they belong. I look forward to engaging with the public as we work to protect the investment of our residents for many years to come.”
The legislation will go through multiple Council and Committee meetings before adoption beginning September 28th.
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