A recent walking tour of $3 million worth of new improvements to Avista Stadium with Spokane Indians Senior Vice President Otto Klein brought back a lot of great old memories of times I've spent there with colleagues and friends. It also convinced me that making new memories there is about to become more enjoyable.

Construction workers were smoothing newly laid asphalt throughout the 55-year-old ballpark's outer concourse the day I visited. More noteworthy upgrades, though, have included replacing the main concession building with a new much larger 4,700-square-foot structure, remodeling the 3,600-square-foot administrative building, and constructing a 1,700-square-foot addition that includes more office space and a team merchandise store that will be open year-round. Meanwhile, the number of ticket windows has doubled.

Also going in and only partially installed the day last month that I was there was a large shade structure, centrally located on the main concourse, that will provide baseball fans with welcome shelter on hot days before and during the games.

The improvements were made possible by collaborative contributions from the stadium's owner, Spokane County, as well as the Spokane Indians baseball club and stadium title sponsor Avista Corp. The county is funding its portion of the project under a contract that county commissioners approved two years ago with Indians' ownership group Brett Sports & Entertainment Inc. Kilgore Construction Inc., of Colbert, has been the contractor on the project, and ALSC Architects PS, of Spokane, designed it.

"We think the thing about this project that is really nice is the fan experience," and how it's being enhanced, Klein says, adding, "It's a 1958 facility, and it's now preserved for another 30 years. That's the beauty of this thing."

The project also will have a beneficial impact on employment. Klein says the number of game-day employees at the ballpark is expected to increase to 230—up from 170 last year—as a result of the upgrades.

The club held a formal dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony this week to celebrate the ballpark improvements, which upgraded what already is considered to be one of the best minor league baseball facilities in the nation. Located at 602 N. Havana, next to the Spokane County Fair & Expo Center, Avista Stadium has been named the Northwest League Field of the Year for eight consecutive years and 14 of the last 16 years.

The Spokane Indians team is a short-season, Class A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Though it currently is a couple of levels down from the big leagues, it has been an important training ground for a lot of stellar players, and the stadium has been the site of too many exciting games to count.

Some of my most treasured memories involve games during the 1987 season, when the Indians—who hadn't captured a pennant since 1974—won 21 of 25 games to finish the Northwest League season with a .711 winning percentage, the best in Spokane's pro baseball history. They then defeated Everett in a best-of-three playoff series.

A couple of the players I remember most fondly are slugger first baseman Dave Staton, who led the Indians to their third straight league championship in 1989, and right fielder Matt Mieske, who did the same thing a year later.

Mieske, who later played in the majors from 1993 to 2000, was excellent at the plate, but what almost was more exciting to watch was how he used his rifle arm to pick off overly ambitious base runners with wickedly accurate throws to home plate, repeatedly.

But that's all in the past, albeit recorded for posterity. The Indians open their season at home next Friday against the Everett AquaSox. It's time for fans to begin creating new memories in the newly improved digs. Play ball!