Big League Dreams park in Gilbert to close until 2019
Jul 8, 2017, 8:10 PM | Updated: Jul 10, 2017, 7:53 am
(BLD Gilbert Facebook Photo/@gkeesee134)
(BLD Gilbert Facebook Photo/@gkeesee134)
PHOENIX — The sports facility at Gilbert’s Elliot District Park, run by Big League Dreams, will close for repairs until early 2019.
The town said the closure will allow $11.6 million in repairs and “safety improvements” to be made to the facility.
Big League Dreams is a sports and recreation facility, known largely for its baseball fields that are built to resemble real-life, major league ballparks like Chase Field, Fenway Park, Wrigley Field and others. They also operate facilities in California, Nevada and Texas.
“During the course of the design planning phase for park repairs, additional safety issues with the structural integrity of the outfield aesthetic grandstands were discovered which has necessitated the immediate closure of the park,” a statement from Gilbert read.
The Gilbert park is currently BLD’s only Arizona location.
The town also said the money for repairs will come from a settlement agreement that Gilbert reached in 2007 when park was originally built.
Various softball, baseball, soccer leagues and more will be displaced.
“The Town welcomes the opportunity to work with BLD on alternative arrangements to accommodate their league and tournament play whenever possible,” they said.
A statement from Big League Dreams Gilbert’s Facebook page stated that the park was built by the Town of Gilbert and that construction included “numerous and substantial original construction defects.” They also said the closure came with no advanced notice.
