[Durham INC] Durham's Historic DAP Gets New Lights

Tue Mar 22 13:13:39 EDT 2011

CITY OF DURHAM

Office of Public Affairs

101 City Hall Plaza

Durham, NC 27701

News Release

For Details, Contact:

Amy Blalock

Sr. Public Affairs Specialist

(919) 560-4123 x 11253

(919) 475-7735 (cell)

Amy.Blalock at DurhamNC.gov

For Immediate Release:  March 22, 2011

Durham's Historic DAP Gets New Lights for a New Season

DURHAM, N.C. - Spectators and players will now see the Historic Durham
Athletic Park in a whole new light this season thanks to the efforts of
the City of Durham and Minor League Baseball.

In preparation for the 2011 baseball season, the City of Durham's
General Services Department and Minor League Baseball partnered to bring
$150,000 worth of donated new metal halide lights to the historic
ballpark, ensuring players and spectators can now easily catch all of
the plays and enjoy the evening games even more.

The new 1,500-watt metal halide lights, donated by Minor League Baseball
sponsor Musco Lighting, have replaced 80 of the old infield and outfield
lights, providing 70-foot candles of lighting in the infield and 50-foot
candles of lighting in the outfield. As part of the project to bring the
new lights to the ballpark, the City's General Services Department
contracted with Kimley-Horn to complete design work to accommodate the
new lights and with Walter Holmes Electric, Inc. to install the new
lights in January, just in time for the kick-off of the baseball season.
The total cost to install the new lights was approximately $49,000, paid
from the department's FY10-11 budget.

According to Joel Reitzer, director of the City's General Services
Department, the partnership between the City and Minor League Baseball
enabled the department to update the aged lighting and save Durham
taxpayers in the process. "We are very pleased that Minor League
Baseball arranged for the donation of new lights at the Durham Athletic
Park. Musco Lighting has shown by this contribution that it values its
partnership with baseball and the communities Minor League Baseball
serves," Reitzer said. "This significant contribution makes the field
more usable by more groups and we are grateful to Minor League Baseball
and Musco Lighting for their combined efforts to make this improvement
happen."

According to Jill Rusinko, general manager of the Historic Durham
Athletic Park and Minor League Baseball Charities, the donated lights
will greatly improve player safety while retaining the historic feel of
the ballpark. "Updating the lights to Class A standards while reusing
the existing wood poles allows us to maintain a long-term system as well
as retain the historical feel of the park, which is another step in
restoring this iconic facility," Rusinko said. "The generous donation of
the lights by Musco Lighting will greatly enhance the experience and
safety of both the players and fans. The new lighting, which will not
increase the kilowatt consumption or energy costs, will also provide
more opportunities for civic groups and other organizations to enjoy the
ballpark when baseball is not in season."

According to Reitzer, the old lights were inadequate by modern standards
for collegiate and professional use. "The lights that were in the
ballpark were well over 30 years old and didn't adequately light the
field for either the players or the spectators during evening games,"
Reitzer said. "The improvement in light levels will now allow players to
play more safely, and spectators can view the plays with more clarity.
Also, with the outfield lighting improved as well, fielders can see
balls and evolving plays with more clarity and focus. We're really
pleased with the outcome and hope it leads to even more folks using the
ballpark."

As for the fate of the old infield and outfield lights, Reitzer said
these parts were not thrown away, but have been put to good use
elsewhere in the Durham community. "Our employees in the Facilities
Operations Division did an outstanding job on this project and
creatively were able to repurpose many of the components in the old
lights and put them to good use in many of our playing fields that are
managed by Durham Parks and Recreation," Reitzer said. "What spare parts
we weren't able to reuse have been recycled. So, at the end of the day,
not only is the Durham Athletic Park enjoying new lights, but many of
our other City-owned fields also have improved lights, which mean better
playing fields for residents throughout our community."

According to Reitzer, over $6 million has been invested in the
restoration and renovation of the historic ballpark over the past three
years, with this latest improvement bringing baseball up another notch
in Durham by allowing teams who call the park home to fully enjoy the
baseball experience. "The reconstruction of the field, the restoration
of the grandstands, the addition of a new electronic scoreboard, and now
the new lighting, all add to the preservation of the Durham Athletic
Park for use by all of Durham's residents and visitors."

For additional information about the new lights in the Historic Durham
Athletic Park, contact Lori Blake-Reid, facilities operations manager
for the Facilities Operations Division in the City's General Services
Department, at (919) 560-4197, ext. 21229 or via e-mail at 
Lori.Blake-Reid at DurhamNC.gov. 

About the City's General Services Department

The City of Durham's General Services Department provides timely,
cost-effective, and high quality services in eight core business
functions: Administration, Cemeteries, Facilities Operations, Landscape
Services, Project Management, Real Estate, Surplus Property, and Urban
Forestry. For more information, visit 
www.DurhamNC.gov/Departments/General. 

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