Additional funding set to expand renovations of the Tuckahoe Little League Complex

Upgrades planned for the Tuckahoe Little League complex are getting a substantial boost, thanks to additional funding.

The expanded renovations are a result of the Tuckahoe Little League and Henrico County agreeing to combine the previous plans for the upgrades at Tuckahoe Park with additional renovations requested by the Little League.

In addition to the two new turf baseball fields with lights, a new park access road and a new entrance off of John Rolfe Parkway outlined in the original plans, the expansion of the project will fund new irrigation systems, upgrades to the current concession and restroom facilities and spectator upgrades, such as covered seating areas. The county and the Little League have yet to determine on which fields the covered seating areas will be built, according to Henrico Recreation and Parks Director John Zannino.

In addition to the 2016 bond referendum, from which the county allotted $16 million for the originally planned renovation, county reserve funds also now will contribute to the expanded upgrades, Henrico Deputy County Manager Brandon Hinton told the Citizen.

The final dollar amount for the project is subject to the construction bids that the county receives, but Zannino estimates that it will end up somewhere between $20 million and $25 million.

“This is amazing news,” said Tuckahoe Little League President Brydon DeWitt, whose three-year term ends Sept. 30. “We are going to have everything that we hoped for. It's going to transform the park. It's going to pretty much be the same footprint, but everything is going to be brought up to current standards.”

A site plan depicts some of the plans for the expanded renovations of the complex, such as the two new artificial turf fields indicated as field 14 and 15. Field 4 is indicated as a new field, but it is an existing field that will undergo renovation. Additionally, the trail system will be expanded beyond what is currently depicted on the site plan, Zannino said.

While Henrico County owns the site, the Tuckahoe Little League does not pay to use the field space because of to its status as a youth association.

The condition of each field will determine whether it will receive upgrades, but Zannino said that many fields will be upgraded to some degree.

The Little League uses the complex nearly year- round, from practices beginning in February to its fall ball season ending in early November. Accordingly, construction will occur while the complex is active, but the county and the Little League hope to stagger construction so that some fields remain open throughout the construction process. Officials have not yet finalized a sequencing plan for the complex’s renovations.

The county aims to invite bids for the project in November or December of this year so that officials can award the construction contract in January 2024, Zannino said.