The final price tag for the renovations of Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale will end up being higher than expected.
The arena, which was built to host an NHL team in the early 2000s, is getting a makeover intended to make it more conducive for concerts than sports. The Arizona Coyotes were booted as the building’s primary tenant in 2022.
“Without a major sports team, we feel like we can sort of reimagine the way the building is presented,” said Doug Thornton, the executive vice president of arenas, stadiums and theaters for ASM Global, the company that manages and operates Desert Diamond Arena. “But we can still make it just as usable for an NCAA or other sporting event.” [KTAR]
Panola College celebrated exciting updates to the Jim Reeves Memorial Baseball Field with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony on December 2, which now features state-of-the-art covered grandstands and an upgraded press box.
“We are thrilled about the improvements to our baseball facility,” said athletic director Don Clinton. “These upgrades have been in discussion for a very long time, and it’s truly a dream come true for any baseball coach.”
The new grandstands offer fans a spectacular view from every angle, providing comfort and an enhanced experience for those attending games. This upgrade, along with the turf field added two years ago, brings the facility to the forefront of Texas Community College athletics. [Fort Bend Herald]
Panola College, in conjunction with the City of Carthage, will hold a celebratory ribbon cutting for the newly-updated turf baseball field on Jan. 19 at 10 a.m. at the Jim Reeves Memorial Baseball Field.
— Panola College (@PanolaCollege) January 10, 2023
Read more: https://t.co/LV5GSmGFdV. pic.twitter.com/kxcHtMsdke
Upgrading athletic facilities can be a slow and expensive process, but multiple high schools in Southeast Texas have recently made the commitment to provide their student-athletes top-tier complexes.
Port Arthur Memorial athletic director Brian Morgan is very familiar with the process. He's been privy to multiple athletic upgrades over the past few years at Memorial, and the best is yet to come.
The district is building a $4 million practice facility at its high school that will allow athletes to train for their sport no matter the weather conditions. Like all athletic directors, Morgan knows that "nothing happens overnight" when it comes to facility upgrades. West Orange-Stark's process to build a new event center and basketball arena took years to complete. [Beaumont Enterprise]
To subscribe to the free daily e-newsletter offering the latest industry news, products and insights from — and written for — the athletics, fitness and recreation industries, see below on this page, or click here
