Mesa, Ariz.

Key Players

Owner/Developer City of Mesa

Lead design Firm Gensler

Structural Engineering PK Associates

Civil Engineering and Sports Field Design Lloyd Civil & Sports Engineers

MEP Engineering Energy Systems Design

Landscape Architecture Trueform Landscape Architecture

Consultancy Services Rider Levett Bucknall, Marc Taylor Inc., Marvin Mills Irrigation Consulting, Redmond Food Service Planning

Sister facilities Hohokam Stadium and Fitch Park underwent concurrent $25.6-million, one-year renovation and expansion projects when the city of Mesa added the Oakland Athletics baseball club to the city’s storied Cactus League.

Fitch Park was renamed the Lew Wolff Training Complex at Fitch Park after the facility was dedicated in honor of the team’s owner.

The completely refreshed 55,000-sq-ft facility includes a 25,000-sq-ft addition and complete renovation of the grounds, including baseball fields, batting cages and pitching mounds. The training facility sits less than a mile south of the stadium along Center Street.

Hohokam Stadium remained in use through late 2013, when the renovation project started. Improvements centered on high-impact features that highlight the character and identity of the Oakland Athletics, which use the stadium for spring training and most aspects of their minor league operation.

Construction goals included a rebranded exterior, entrance gates, new seating, party decks, a ticketing area and a 360-degree experience to accommodate 2,500 extra fans on grass surrounding the outfield.

There were zero safety incidents on the project and no lost-time accidents.

According to the city of Mesa, attendance was up by 56 %—a total of 110,059 over five weeks—for the 2015 spring training season in the newly renovated stadium.

The project was completed on time and under budget. Judges praised the project for both an impressive time frame and retrofit.