ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The Lehigh Valley IronPigs will be able to not only stay in the region, but the team will have the nearly $10 million in mandated upgrades to Coca-Cola Park completed in time for the start of next season.
The money is coming from several sources including state and local government.
Representatives from the team joined local elected officials on Friday afternoon to announce that construction of the improvements mandated by Major League Baseball — including an expanded clubhouse, male and female locker rooms, training facilities, hydro space and a new centerfield entrance — are on track for completion by April.
- The Lehigh Valley IronPigs will be able to afford nearly $10 million in stadium upgrades demanded by the MLB
- The improvements are expected to be complete before the start of next season
- The IronPigs have signed an agreement with Lehigh County to lease Coca-Cola Park through 2052
“It’s really been a lot of sleepless nights,” said Joe Finley, one of the owners of the minor league baseball team. “Come April 2023, it’s really going to be a brand new ballpark.”
Finley acknowledged that this summer had been something of a roller coaster ride, with team ownership going back and forth with local municipalities in an effort to secure the funds needed for the stadium improvements.
During Friday's event, Allentown took the brunt of some gentle ribbing, as those in attendance recalled that the city initially proposed providing $1.5 million to the stadium improvements through American Rescue Plan Act funds.
But Allentown City Council declined to provide those funds in late October. Northampton County’s board of commissioners pulled a similar move, reallocating $100,000 that initially was proposed to support the stadium improvements.
Earlier this week, the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce stepped in to replace those funds.
"Right from day one, I wasn’t going to lose the pigs. Never."Phil Armstrong, Lehigh County Executive
In celebrating on Friday, Lehigh County Executive Phil Armstrong said he was excited that the team had signed on to lease the stadium through 2052 – ensuring the IronPigs will remain a fixture of the Lehigh Valley for years to come.
“Right from day one, I wasn’t going to lose the pigs. Never,” Armstrong said with a grin.
Lehigh County is chipping in up to $3 million to help the IronPigs afford the stadium upgrades. Armstrong said the country renegotiated terms of the lease, and he noted that the stadium, which is owned by the county, isn’t paid for yet.
The IronPigs pay more than $928,000 a year to the county to call Coca-Cola Park home.
If they would have had to leave because of the cost of the improvements, taxpayers would be stuck paying off the cost of the stadium.
“We could not afford to lose the team,” Armstrong said.
