Montréal mayor Valérie Plante, Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough mayor Émile Thuillier and Ahuntsic district city councillor Nathalie Goulet are proud to announce that work to modernize the Gary Carter baseball stadium, located in Ahuntsic Park, will begin in 2021. This work, at an estimated cost of $10 million, will be completed in the fall of 2022.
This work, long-awaited by many elite and local baseball teams alike, will provide facilities of the highest quality for players and spectators. A new synthetic playing surface will be installed and the capacity of the stands will be increased to 1,000 seats. In addition, the new playing surface, which will employthe latest technological developments in the field, will allow for the field's usage time to be almost doubled.
From an environmental standpoint, the new synthetic surface will generate less heat than previous generations of the technology and will allow for very advanced drainage, which will limit runoff from the field. In addition, the surface will limit maintenance costs and pollution associated with activities on the field, freeing up time and ressourcing for staff to work on other sports fields in the borough.
Forty new trees will be planted around the stadium, renewing the diversity of the tree canopy of the beautiful Ahuntsic Park. The project also includes improvements to the dog exercise area adjacent to the stadium, including the addition of awnings.
This will allow the stadium to be used by the Montréal Orioles team, the regional elite junior team, the AAA midget team enrolled in the Sport-Études program, as well as by local teams for players aged 4 to 22. It will even be possible for several minor league teams to use it simultaneously. The field can also be used for free baseball practice.
"This announcement is part of our administration's commitment to providing first-rate sports facilities to families and athletes in the City of Montréal. The practice of sporting activities allows young and old people alike to maintain good physical and mental health, in addition to promoting true neighbourhood life. And who knows, maybe the next Gary Carter will take his first swings in this magnificent baseball stadium, which will become a reference in terms of quality not only in Montréal, but throughout Québec," said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante.
"This renovated baseball stadium will be a great asset for the borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville, confirming its central place in amateur baseball in Montréal. I am delighted about the opportunities that these new facilities will offer to the elite teams, but also to the borough's local teams, who will now be able to enjoy usage time of this high-quality field," added the borough's mayor, Émilie Thuillier.
"In designing these new facilities, special attention was paid to ensuring they mesh well with the rest of Ahuntsic Park, which sees a vide variety of different uses. This park is currently undergoing a compete overhaul, with improvements being made to the trails, the playgrounds, the pond, and soon the skateboard park. The new protective netting around the stadium will benefit the users of the nearby dog park," said Nathalie Goulet, city councillor for the district of Ahuntsic and member of the City of Montréal Executive Committee responsible for sports and recreation.
Throughout the design and preparation of the stadium upgrade, several baseball partners were involved, including Baseball Québec, the Club des Orioles Desjardins de Montréal and the Ahuntsic-Cartierville Baseball Association.
"The redevelopment of the stadium announced today by the City of Montréal is a major step forward for all Montréal baseball fans and players, but also for the residents of the borough who will benefit from a new, signature piece of infrastructure. The modernization of the stadium will help promote the sport and encourage physical activity for all age groups, which is a great thing," added Marc Griffin, vice-president of Baseball Quebec and baseball analyst for RDS.
"The Orioles Desjardins de Montréal are proud of the announcement of the modernization of Gary Carter Stadium for the future and development of baseball in Montreal and the Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough. This is an investment in the future of our sport that represents the excellence of the past and the future," said Eric Dostaler, President of the borough council of the Orioles.
"We are very pleased to see this important investment in the stadium's renovation, which will benefit the borough's minor league baseball players and all those from Montreal who will have the chance to come and play here," added François Martel, Vice-President of Baseball Ahuntsic-Cartierville.
The upgrades to Gary Carter Stadium are part of a larger redevelopment plan for Ahuntsic Park. The implementation of this plan began in 2020 with the redevelopment of the trails and the playground for 5 to 12-year-olds. Starting in late summer 2021, the park's pond facilities will be improved, including via the addition of a plaza and waterfall, as well as filtering marshes. A renovation of the skate park is also in the works for 2022, much to the delight of young people and families in the neighbourhood.
