Spokane County Commissioners have selected Lydig Construction Inc., of Spokane, as the general contractor for the $22.8 million renovation project at Avista Stadium, says Chris Duff, president of the Spokane Indians Baseball Club. 

ALSC Architects, of Spokane, is the project’s architect.

Duff anticipates renovations this fall and winter, between the 2023 and 2024 seasons, to include clubhouse improvements, field lights, and possibly a new video board. 

According to initial permits submitted to the city of Spokane Valley, work includes the addition of 20,205 square feet of space, valued at $5 million.  

Construction is set to begin immediately following the end of the Spokane County Fair, which takes place from Sept. 8 to Sept. 17, says Duff. 

The Spokane County-owned Avista Stadium is located next to Spokane County Fairgrounds, at 602 N. Havana. As reported previously by the Journal, improvements to the facility must be completed by the start of the 2025 season, with intermittent deadlines, or the team’s franchise can be revoked by Major League Baseball.

Duff says a couple of the reasons Lydig Construction was chosen for the MLB-mandated improvements are the company’s experience with occupied campuses, and its ability to meet budgets and deadlines. 

“On time is one (component) that is really important to us,” says Duff. “Especially with some of the player pieces, we need to be complete with those (improvements) by the time the season starts.” 

The Spokane Indians Baseball Club has assembled $16 million for the project, which includes funds from the city of Spokane Valley, Spokane County, the state of Washington, and the teams’ own investments, says Duff. 

Those funds will cover expenses for the first two phases of renovations, he says.

“Right now, we’re really focused on getting compliant with Major League Baseball,” says Duff. “We’ll get through these two phases of the $16 million project done, then get back into fundraising mode in late fall, early winter.”