TAKEOVER ISN’T DONE DEAL
Kingston seeks $4 million for improvements as it negotiates with school district to take ownership of the facility
An agreement to allow the city to take over ownership of Dietz Stadium has not materialized yet.
Nevertheless, the city has applied for an additional $4 million for stadium improvements and hired a consultant to draw up design plans, according to Mayor Steve Noble.
As of now, the city and Kingston school district are 50-50 owners. In order to spend state funding on Dietz Stadium improvements, the city needs to be sole owner.
An agreement needs to be finalized by the school district, the Kingston Common Council and the mayor.
“We are actively negotiating with the Superintendent of Kingston City Schools, and the Superintendent has noted that he expects it to again be a topic of conversation at the KCSD (Kingston Consolidated School District) Board meeting later this month,” Noble said in an email. “I look forward to working out a cooperative agreement with the school district that will allow better management and capital planning for the facility going forward.”
Noble said the city has also applied for an additional $4 million grants that “we hope will be awarded to make even more improvements in addition to the $2.5 million already allocated to the complex.”
Noble said a consulting contract had been awarded in June to Clark Patterson Lee for design, engineering and construction management.
The mayor said officials with Clark Patterson Lee have been out to the stadium, assessing existing conditions and gathering plans.
The already-planned renovations are expected to cost about $2.5 million, with most of the money coming from a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant awarded to Kingston by New York state.
A public survey about how best to use the state money found strong support for improvements at the stadium, which Kingston High School uses for such sports as football, field hockey, lacrosse and track.
About $1.65 million of the stadium money is to be spent on locker room and bathroom renovations. Nearly $500,000 more is earmarked for new visitors’ bleachers at the football field and parking lot upgrades, including new lighting.
Also included in the plan are food vending improvements ($150,000), a refurbished press box ($86,000), a new sound and public address system ($40,000), WiFi for visitors ($25,000), a storage shed ($20,000) and outdoor water fountains ($20,000).
Separate from the $2.5 million, about $400,000 is earmarked for improvements at the Andretta Pool complex, which is at the edge of the stadium property.
The additional $4 million grant would be used to improve the parking lot and the remainder of the site outside the stadium.
Consultants have said that there is a significant “site circulation problem” at the stadium and the goal is to improve the flow of interior traffic. There also are plans for other improvements, such as adding “green infrastructure” to handle stormwater runoff.
The total cost of the improvements would be about $5.25 million.
The city’s share of the work would be $1.25 million, if Kingston is successful in securing the three additional grants, adding up to $4 million.