CLEVELAND — When the Cleveland Guardians first announced their plans for renovations to Progressive Field, they set the fourth quarter of 2022 as their targeted start date for construction to begin.
Those plans, however, have since changed.
In an email sent to fans on Thursday, the Guardians announced that construction on the upgrades to their home stadium now won't begin until following the 2023 season. Additionally, the team announced that a local minority and female-owned company, the AKA Team, has been selected to serve as an additional Associate Construction Manager as part of its Community Benefits Program.
In a statement, the Guardians said that they are still in the process of evaluating a timetable for the completion of the renovations. Last year, the team said that the renovations are expected to take "several years" to complete.
"The Guardians Ballpark Improvements Project Management Team is in the process of finalizing scope across a series of construction projects and timeline for project completion," the team said. "We expect to announce in the coming weeks our final plans, with construction not beginning until the conclusion of the 2023 baseball season. Pending hitting our timelines for Schematic Designs, Design Development and Construction Documents, we hope to start preparing bid packages by mid to late Spring of 2023."
The Guardians first announced their plans to upgrade Progressive Field in the summer of 2021, after reaching a 10-year extension on the stadium's lease through a public-private partnership with the city of Cleveland. Of the $435 million expected to be generated over the course of the 15 years remaining on the lease, $202 million was earmarked to be spent on significant renovations for the ballpark.
The agreement, which was approved by the Cleveland City Council last November and finalized this past January, will not include a tax increase for residents. The City and County collectively will contribute $17 million annually, the State will contribute $2 million annually and the Guardians will contribute $10 million annually for measures including "fan friendly and baseball/front office operations improvements and necessary funding for capital repairs, maintenance, Gateway operations, and property taxes."