Brewers' spring training plan was years in the making and required the cooperation of many

As the Milwaukee Brewers exhaustively sought a better spring training situation than they had at Maryvale Baseball Park over the past several years, two stark realities emerged.

First, it became quite evident that the city of Phoenix neither had the inclination nor available funds to foot the bill for a substantial updating and expansion of the Maryvale facility. Second, despite extensive explorations of possible relocation sites in both Arizona and Florida, no acceptable resolution materialized.

So, what were the Brewers to do? They had fallen behind other clubs in the modern world of baseball training over the years at Maryvale, which provided a suitable stadium for exhibition games but lacked the behind-the-scenes amenities that teams deem essential to avoid competitive disadvantages.

WEDNESDAY: Phoenix City Council approves Brewers' renovation plans

In short, the Brewers had outgrown Maryvale since moving there from Chandler, Ariz., in 1998, given the gift of a new facility by developer John F. Long and the city of Phoenix. They knew it would take many millions of dollars to upgrade Maryvale Baseball Park to their liking, so they started talking to city officials about what it would take to get there.

No team had primarily financed a substantial renovation of a Cactus League facility, but lacking an alternative elsewhere, the Brewers would have to put their money where their mouth was or forget it.

“In 2012, we did some pretty major renovations,” said Brewers executive vice president Bob Quinn, the front man for finding a spring training solution for the club. “We always thought of a larger-scale renovation to Maryvale.”

The process was put on hold in 2015 when the Brewers turned over their baseball operations to new general manager David Stearns, who accelerated the club’s large-scale rebuilding process by overhauling the 40-man roster. Quinn and his staff wanted to make sure any renovation plans met the goals of the Brewers’ new baseball leadership, and after all the boxes were checked, talks accelerated with city officials.

“We wanted to make sure we worked with David and his group to see what they were looking for,” Quinn said. “It has taken a few years for us to get our ducks in a row in what we were looking for and what we wanted.”

A plan was formalized in which the Brewers would commit as much as $63 million to the renovation, with the city of Phoenix chipping in $10 million over five years. That proposal was approved in a 6-2 vote by the city council on Wednesday afternoon, green lighting the project in which construction will begin immediately after spring training in 2018.

Even with the team footing most of the bill, it took the cooperation of many people to get Ordinance S-44071 passed. The Brewers worked closely with Phoenix city manager Ed Zuercher and assistant Milton Dohoney to assure the proposal would be acceptable. They got the much-needed and enthusiastic backing of District 5 councilman Daniel Valenzuela, whose constituency includes the Maryvale area of west Phoenix.

Phoenix special project manager Jeremy Legg also was vital in moving the process forward, as was Inger Erickson, director of the city’s parks and recreation department. The Brewers also had boots on the ground locally in lobbyist John Kaites, a former Arizona state legislator who championed the club’s project.

And it didn’t stop there. The Brewers had the support of numerous other civic and community leaders to put the unique deal together. Quinn made constant trips back and forth from Milwaukee to Phoenix to meet with city council members and other people important to the process.

“I’ve lost track of how many times I went down there,” Quinn said. “Let’s just say I accumulated a lot of frequent flyer miles.

“A lot of city officials were instrumental in getting this done. We wanted to make sure they understood our vision, not just with baseball but also what it would mean for the community. We wanted to understand what each councilman’s views were, and what areas we could be helpful.

"From top to bottom, they were supportive of what we were doing. It was a collaborative effort to get this done.”

Anyone who has traveled to Maryvale to watch the Brewers train and play exhibition games will tell you that the surrounding neighborhood is not exactly Beverly Hills. It remains an economically depressed area with ongoing crime issues. It was hoped when the spring training facility was built 20 years ago, it would spur further development in the area, but any gains have been modest.

If the Brewers moved elsewhere, it would be a huge blow to Maryvale, of which local politicians and civic leaders were well aware. In making the motion to pass the proposal at the city council meeting Wednesday, Valenzuela said “it’s an area that needs it” and promised the renovation would “help drive Maryvale forward.”

It was no secret the Brewers were exploring other opportunities, including a reported courtship last year with the nearby community of Gilbert. Had another stadium plan become a reality, the Brewers were prepared to pack their bags. But team officials also remained hopeful of finding a solution at Maryvale, which had the potential to be one of the better single-team facilities with necessary updates.

“The city of Phoenix folks understood if we got calls from other areas, we would listen,” Quinn said. “So, we took those calls. But we always hoped we could get to a good spot with the city. From a location perspective, it’s a perfect spot to get to all of the other facilities. The layout of our complex flows nicely for us. So, if we could get a deal there, that was our priority.

“There have been some significant changes in and around the area, including parks and recreation. There’s an aquatic facility now. And there’s Grand Canyon University. So, I wouldn’t say nothing has happened in the area. Did it accelerate at the rate as some might have though? I don’t know. But there have been community efforts and we want to be part of that.

"We tried to make sure the package included elements that were important to city officials. I believe we were successful in doing that. We landed in a spot that we thought was the right spot for both sides.”

Asked if the Brewers ever came close to finding a new spring training home, Quinn said, “Until something actually materializes, I never believe in ‘close.’ There have been discussions. That’s where I’d leave that.”

Though principal owner Mark Attanasio enjoys the proximity of Maryvale to his home and business in Los Angeles, Quinn did say some of the discussions for a new training site took place in Florida. Nothing concrete materialized there or elsewhere in Arizona.

Quinn wouldn’t say how the Brewers put together the finances from their end. The team has had a much lower player payroll during the rebuilding process but invested some $20 million last winter to overhaul the concession areas at Miller Park, and now are doing significant updates to the club level there.

The Brewers are assuming operation and maintenance of the facility under the new deal but Quinn said there was no discussion of selling naming rights to the ballpark to help fund the renovation.

“We’ve got a lot of respect for John F. Long, who donated the land and was instrumental in bringing the Brewers to Maryvale,” Quinn said. “We’re hoping other partnerships and sponsorships might help with what we’re trying to do in spring training.

“There will be a series of additional investments we make over time within that ($41 million to $63 million) range. Our core project, we’re still in the final phase of developing the plan with the architect. Over a series of years to come, there will be additional investments that we make. It will be spread out a little over time, but our commitment is substantial.”

The Brewers have an admittedly aggressive schedule of beginning construction immediately after the end of exhibition season next spring and having the renovation “substantially completed” by the beginning of camp in 2019. So, now that the plan has passed, no moss will grow under their feet.

“We’re going to finish our architectural plans and get our general contractors in place,” Quinn said. “It’s a tight time frame but we feel comfortable that we’ll be able to get it done. We’ve worked with MLB on our scheduling for next spring to give us as much lead time as possible in that final week in March to break ground and get the project started.

“I think it’s going to be an outstanding facility when we are done. We always felt if we could get it done in Maryvale, that was our primary goal. We’re happy we were able to do that. I think it’s going to be a first-class facility for us.”