GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The city has entered into a contract with Rockford Construction to do the renovations on Sullivan Field, formerly known as Valley Field, bringing the historic baseball diamond one step closer to its renovation goals.
The contract with Rockford Construction was announced at the Grand Rapids City Commission meeting Tuesday. The city has allocated $1.1 million towards the improvements, which includes concept plans by Grand Rapids-based Integrated Architecture Corporation. It's estimated that the total cost for the renovation will cost about $3 million.
The city is moving forward with phase one of the renovation project, allowing time for further grants and fundraising to continue the upgrades.
Some of the improvements outlined in the plan include improving the quality of the field, as well as the dugouts, grandstand and bullpen.
The non-profit group Fans of Valley Field along with the city of Grand Rapids want to make sure the field can be used for events year-round.
They're largely responsible for the restoration and care of Sullivan Field. We last talked to the group about the park in June of 2021 when decades old artifacts were dug up from underneath the grandstands.
Since then, a lot has happened at Sullivan Field. There's a brand-new scoreboard in right field. There's a banner in the grandstands honoring the Grand Rapids Black Sox team. There's a stage along the third base line where bands perform concerts.
That's part of the vision for this place — Fans of Valley Field want Sullivan Field to be about much more than baseball.
Additional fundraising efforts are currently underway to pay for the renovations.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.