Why Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium renovations have been delayed, altered

[Alex Carver]

Construction on the $108 million project won't begin until 2025, with a spokesperson citing the "need to minimize the impact to the players and staff during the renovation."

Nearly three years ago, Palm Beach County, the Miami Marlins and the St. Louis Cardinals made a long-term commitment to each other. Through a county-issued bond expected to be re-paid in full over 25 years, both teams' player development and spring training complexes would remain at Jupiter's Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium through 2049. On May 17, 2022, the county and the operations venture of the stadium, Jupiter Stadium Ltd. (which is run by both teams), reached their final agreement on a project to renovate the facilities. The county and the state of Florida would re-pay 62% of the bond; the Marlins and Cardinals would cover the remaining 38%.

After the county unanimously approved the bonding agreement on their side, the blueprint for stadium upgrades began to come into view. At the forefront of the plans: complete demolition and rebuild of both team clubhouses which sit beyond the outfield walls of the park. Other plans included new batting cages, a new seating area, bullpens situated behind the outfield walls, two new scoreboards and technological updates, a larger team store, and press box improvements.

In August 2022, the project completed what was seemingly its final hurdle when it reached approval from the Jupiter Town Council with plans for construction to begin in August 2023. In preparation for the renovations, minor league affiliates of the Marlins and Cardinals, the Jupiter Hammerheads and Palm Beach Cardinals, along with regular every day stadium operations were moved to CACTI Ballpark of the Palm Beaches which was leased through the remainder of the 2023 season. Florida Complex League games remained on the Roger Dean backfields, but many player facilities were made off limits. Leading up to the expected arrival of construction crews, the existing clubhouses and batting cages were completely stripped. Construction tape could be seen in certain areas and red tape could be seen emblazoned over doors leading to some facilities, including clubhouses.

Then, something strange happened. During the FCL season and as the Hammerheads completed their Florida State League title run at their temporary West Palm Beach residence, little happened at Roger Dean and construction crews were rarely present. That absence has permeated through this spring and player clubhouses and facilities were rebuilt as they were previously and reopened.

We recently received a full update on what did happen, what has changed, and what the future holds for Roger Dean.

 

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Major upgrades will still be made to Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium that will still keep the Marlins and Cardinals at the facility through 2049. However, there have been several significant developments and changes to original planning. The renovation project will not start until after the completion of next spring training. Roger Dean’s General Manager Mike Bauer said in a statement that much of the reason for the change in planning and for the most recent delay were both necessary to ensure that the newest blueprint carefully avoided continuing negative affects on team employees at all levels.

“The Marlins and the Cardinals are proud to call Palm Beach County and the Town of Jupiter their spring training home for the foreseeable future in a newly renovated and improved Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium,” Bauer said. “Given that long-term commitment, both organizations want to get the renovation project right, and the renovation of an existing facility that is used nearly year-long by two Major League Baseball clubs for spring training, multiple Minor League teams and nearly year-long training is challenging. We need to minimize the impact to the players and staff during the renovation, while also delivering an exceptional facility for future use.”

Some of the impacts Bauer speaks of were seen this past season as the nomadic Hammerheads played in a home away from home, Florida Complex League players were using the stadium’s concourse as their locker rooms, and FCL staffs were working out of the stadium ticket office. Bauer explained that, if original plans were upheld, players and staffs at both the MLB and MiLB levels would have been affected for two more seasons.

“The original plan would have impacted at least one spring training season, and, with such a tight schedule, it was very likely that a second spring training season would have been impacted by the project as well,” Bauer said. “The new construction plan will allow us to play both spring training and Minor League games at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium throughout the entire project. Our players would not need to leave the property.”

Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium and Sports Complex Renovation.pdf

Along with not affecting either spring training or the MiLB season, the new blueprint is scheduled to be completed in a much shorter period of time. Renovations will now begin right after the close of next spring training and are expected to be finished in less than a calendar year, a stark contrast to the timeframe placed on original planning.

“The bulk of the work will take 10 months to complete, instead of two years,” Bauer said.

To adjust for this decrease in time, changes had to be made to original plans, the most significant of which applies to the reconstruction of team clubhouses. While still honoring the original commitment to overhaul locker rooms, the new plan will forego a complete ground-up rebuild of the buildings. This will eliminate the relocation of utility infrastructure and will diminish impacts on surrounding parking and foliage.

“The two clubhouse buildings will not be demolished. Instead, they will be repurposed and renovated,” Bauer said. “Two new stand-alone training buildings will be constructed adjacent to the existing buildings.”

Most of the additional upgrades listed in the original blueprint will still occur. The new blueprint still includes new bullpens situated beyond the outfield fence which will aid in both player safety and accessibility. Currently, bullpens are in foul ground on either side of the playing field. When a pitcher is present in the bullpen, a third individual acts as a "guard" for the bullpen catcher who has his back toward home plate.

Other aforementioned updates still scheduled are the addition of the new fan experience in left field which will replace bleacher seating, the larger team store, the press box overhaul, the batting tunnel updates, and the technological enhancements including updates to scoreboards, the park’s sound system and to its Wi-Fi availability,

Bauer pinpointed exactly where the project is right now.

“We are currently working with Palm Beach County to select a General Contractor via an RFP process.”

A RFP (request for proposal) process includes the contracting company posting an announcement publicly that allows contractors to understand and bid on ownership of the described project.

Despite the delay and the change in plans, Marlins principal owner Bruce Sherman stated the team’s long-term vision for Roger Dean has steadily remained a constant as players progress towards Major League Baseball.

“We want the Dominican (Academy) and this facility to be state of the art,” Sherman said. “How we treat the players, how we work with the players and their families, we want them to have an experience at (loanDepot park) like none other. And it starts with the players health, nutrition and the environments they work in. We think we’re going to make great strides here.”

Following the end of MLB spring training later this month, the Jupiter Hammerheads begin their regular season against their stadium roommates, the Palm Beach Cardinals, at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in April. The FCL season will begin on the backfields at the complex in May.

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