During yesterday’s groundbreaking of a new Arizona Diamondbacks-Colorado Rockies spring-training complex in the greater Phoenix area, one thing was made abundantly clear: the end result should be stunning, even though it will be built in a seriously short period of time.
The complex, located on Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community land, is slated to be done in February 2011, in plenty of time for spring training. That’s good, as both Arizona and Colorado have already announced this coming spring will be their last in Tucson.
The complex is being built by the Salt River community and will be the first spring-training complex on tribal land. With panoramic mountain views, the facility is located at 7555 N. Pima Road, just west of the Loop 101 Freeway and north of Indian Bend Road adjacent to The Pavilions shopping center on the Salt River Indian Community just east of Scottsdale.
The ceremony included traditional social songs of the Pima and Maricopa tribes and a turning-of-the-ground ceremony with SRPMIC President Diane Enos and Vice President Martin Harvier, along with D-backs President and CEO Derrick Hall and Rockies President Keli McGregor.
“This project is an important addition to our Community,” said Diane Enos, President of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. “It is already proving to be a dynamic draw for economic development for our commercial corridor and we look forward to hosting spring training games and many other fine events that will be held here all during the year.”
The event featured an informational booth on the project and renderings of the 11,000-seat capacity ballpark, which will feature 12 practice fields and office buildings with Major and Minor League clubhouses, training facilities and offices for each team.
“The accessibility and interaction between our fans and players at this new facility will be second to none,” Hall said. “When construction is complete in 15 months, fans will truly consider this one-of-a-kind complex to be the ‘Disneyland’ of all spring training facilities throughout Major League Baseball.”
Project representatives were on hand to answer questions about the innovative facility that promises to give baseball fans a unique spring training experience unrivaled anywhere in Major League Baseball. The project is already being touted as a dynamic draw for economic development within the Salt River Indian Community’s western commercial corridor.
“The complex will provide for our fans and organization the best pure spring experience in Major League Baseball,” Rockies President Keli McGregor said. “We’re excited to be a partner in building a world-class facility with the D-backs and Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.”
The facility was designed by HKS, which also designed the new Dodgers-White Sox training facility in Glendale.
Photo by Jonathan Willey, courtesy of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
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