North Little Rock prepares to make upgrades to Dickey-Stephens Park

North Little Rock prepares to make upgrades to Dickey-Stephens Park

Upgrades requested by Major League Baseball (MLB) could soon be coming to Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.

According to North Little Rock Mayor Terry Hartwick, while the home of the Arkansas Travelers remains a top-notch experience for the fans, the playing surface could use some work.

Hartwick said the MLB reached out about this recently.

“I received a letter,” Hartwick said, “I guess this last week or so, about — we need to get the field ready for any challenges we may have. Like we had flooding in 2019.”

It’s also a problem that has been addressed by Halff, the infrastructure firm that will be in charge of renovating the field once construction begins.

In a letter addressed to Hartwick dated June 13, Halff Vice President Michael Marlar noted that sinkholes have been a persistent problem for the park.

“Settlement in the outfield playing surface did occur in 2015 and 2019,” Marlar wrote. “In January 2016, high river elevations caused the water table to rise which contributed to wet soil conditions and settlement issues in the outfield playing surface.”

Hartwick said Halff’s solution would be to place groundwater wells around the perimeter of the stadium.

“I've called Halff,” Hartwick said. “They're saying, ‘If we put these big wells in around the stadium, when water rises, it goes to the wells, and it won't go to the field, and then we have a chance to pump it out.'”

As far as who will pay for the repairs — Hartwick said the city will foot the bill.

And he’s confident that the plan Halff has developed will satisfy both the MLB and the stadium’s owner, New York-based Diamond Holdings.

“We'll show them what we're planning on doing to Dickey-Stephens field,” Hartwick said, “To Diamond Holdings and before that, to Major League Baseball. And I'm sure at that point they're going to say, ‘Sounds good. Let's go forward.'”

So while disputes over stadiums have led to sports team leaving their cities in the past, Hartwick said that’s not something to worry about this time.

“It's nothing wrong,” Hartwick said. “We still want the Travelers. The Travelers still want us. It's just that we want to make sure there's no more sinkholes or any problems with the field.”

As far as when construction could be completed, Halff’s estimate is that they could start late this year and finish by March 2026 — just in time for the start of the next season.

THV11 reached out to the Arkansas Travelers for comment on this story, but we have not heard back.