After 78 years, the grandstands at Memorial Field were demolished on Monday morning.
The last major renovations to the grandstands were done in the early 2000s. However, the grandstands were closed in 2023 to spectators for safety reasons and a structural assessment was done. Previously, the city said that the demolition would take five to seven days.
In June, city council voted 6-1 to demolish the grandstands, sealing its fate. This does not mean that Memorial Field will be closing.
Two aluminum bleachers will be moving from the Yara Centre to Memorial Field for spectator seating. There will be a smaller sound booth built, a new maintenance shed, new storage facilities and a new electrical/irrigation building as part of the reconstruction of the ball diamond.
The bulk of this work, including the new bleachers, isn’t scheduled to take place until next year.
The changes will mean no change rooms or washroom facilities, meaning port-a-potties would need to be brought it and no concession.
The city has $160,000 budgeted this year to go towards the remediation and demolition of the grandstands and its support structure, relocating and upgrading electrical panels and installing the new equipment shed and electrical/irrigation building.
An additional $87,720 will be needed in 2025 to install the new sound booth, install and paint a new wood fence at the entrance, relocate the bleachers, replace dugouts and install protective netting in right field.
The plan for 2026 is to upgrade the field lighting and replace the outfield fencing at a price tag of $170,500.