County to spend $5.7 million on Trenton Thunder ballpark renovations

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Assemblyman and Mercer County Building & Construction Trades Council President Wayne DeAngelo & Mercer County Executive Dan Benson sign the Project Labor Agreement for renovations at the Trenton Thunder Ballpark. 

Mercer County Executive Dan Benson held a photo op with labor leaders yesterday to sign an agreement that a $5.7 million project to renovate the Trenton Thunder ballpark will use union labor from local trade unions.

The project will cover the first stage of repairs and upgrades at the 31-year-old ballpark. Officials said the upgrades will meet new MLB guidelines and help attract a minor league-affiliated team back to the venue.

“For more than three decades, this ballpark has been a cornerstone of our Capital City and of Mercer County, it’s a place that brings families and communities together, and it brings people into Trenton from throughout the region,” Benson said. “Today we’re making a commitment that we’re going to do this project the right way by hiring union workers from the building trades, who live right here in Mercer County and have a stake in this community.”

“I want to thank County Executive Benson and all the elected leaders who worked together to make this happen,” said Wayne DeAngelo, president of the Mercer County Building & Construction Trades Council. “Our members can’t wait to get to work so that the stadium is at top-shelf when the park reopens for the new season.”

DeAngelo, a Democrat and assemblyman, served with Benson when he was in the Assembly.

Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli sponsored legislation securing $6.5 million in state funding for upgrades to the ballpark.

“We built this stadium 30 years ago with union labor, and over 10 million people have come here to enjoy a game in the years since,” Verrelli said. “These upgrades will keep people coming far into the future.”

Trenton Thunder President Jeff Hurley said the organization is excited to launch the first phase of renovations. “We’re fortunate to have elected leaders who understand why the ballpark matters, and are all-in to bring back an affiliated team to our community,” Hurley said.

The Trenton Thunder Ballpark is a property of the Mercer County Parks Commission. The work will be managed by Shorelands Construction and Jingoli Inc.

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Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.

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