Cardinals not yet decided on utilizing public funding to preserve Busch Stadium

The St. Louis Cardinals' Busch Stadium will "likely need a 'big infusion of capital' in the years ahead to extend its lifespan," but it is "too soon to know if the Cardinals plan to utilize public funding to assist with that future investment,” according to Nathan Rubbelke of the ST. LOUIS BUSINESS JOURNAL. Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III yesterday said, “It’s going to need that (capital) influx at some point. Nobody is talking about how we’re going to finance yet. It’s so premature to say something remotely implying that we’re out there asking for public assistance." DeWitt’s comments were in response to an article published yesterday in the Riverfront Times which said that the Cardinals “will ‘likely seek public funding’ for future improvements at Busch Stadium.” Busch Stadium first opened back in 2006. DeWitt said that other MLB stadiums built in the 1990s and 2000s have “shown that the 20-year mark is when they often need funding for upkeep with major functions, such as stadium seating, HVAC operations and flooring systems.” Several MLB stadiums older than Busch Stadium, including Cleveland’s Progressive Field, Arizona’s Chase Field, Milwaukee’s American Family Field and Baltimore’s Camden Yards, are “currently pursuing or considering renovations,” with each prospective project “costing hundreds of millions of dollars.” DeWitt said that the Cardinals' circumstances “differ” from its counterparts in that the construction of the Busch Stadium “was mostly privately financed and the Cardinals are responsible for its maintenance needs.” He said that they spend $8M to $10M annually in "capital expenditures at Busch Stadium to 'preserve the life of Busch as much as possible.'" He added that those investments “could help push back the need for a major overhaul of the stadium” (ST. LOUIS BUSINESS JOURNAL, 4/17).