Groundbreaking day at The Ath

In the fall of 1997, Dan Plein grabbed his custom shovel and headed out to the field. That shovel was put together using a blade and a Louisville metal bat. Lots of changes since then to how the game is played, including the use of wooden bats and time of play, but fewer changes to the field itself.

Twenty-nine years later, Plein showed up to the 2026 groundbreaking with the framed picture in hand of him and his metal bat shovel. This time he rested against a newer golden shovel. An early-morning birthday gift for the former Aces manager as October 1 can officially be called groundbreaking day at The Ath.

Members of the Red Wing Area Baseball Association board (RWABA) and the campaign fund for the projects to renovate The Ath gathered near the construction equipment and stood where Phase 1 will begin.

There's excitement from the board members in not only being able to improve fan experiences to the ballpark but to work with local companies helping with the construction and field maintenance, too.

The space between where the grandstand ends to the stairs leading down to the bullpen on the first base side will transform into the first-base viewing deck. The Red Wing Aces posted renderings of all projects last year when the funding campaign started but has since posted on Facebook a newer model for what the view deck will look like.

A large portion of the sidewalk from the top of the stairs and ranging to the grandstand will be removed. The viewing deck will be something fans can walk up to easily. They’ll walk up to a drink railing spanning the entire length of the viewing deck. Just below the drink rail will be a small bleacher style seating area.

There’s hope that the drinking railing can have electrical run the length of it, supplying fans with outlets to charge their devices.

Phase 1 is not the start of overall renovations but is the first of the most major projects. The outfield grass was removed, leveled and reseeded. The reseeding is a bit of process as grounds crews will have to seed the field again in the spring and one more time in the fall of 2027. The infield grass remains for now, but that too will be reseeded. The current plan is to seed the infield next year sometime close to River City Days in 2027.

Next year, Phase 2 will begin. That includes the similar but smaller third-base viewing deck. Phase 3 includes the press box, bathrooms and pass gates which are planned for the spring of 2028.

The first-base viewing deck is going to cost somewhere between $220,000-$235,000. It is estimated to cost closer to the higher end of the range.

As of now, the overall funding has reached nearly ¾ of the original asking amount of $1 million. It is well clear of $600,000 and approaching $700,000. All of the funds have come strictly from donations and pledges. Funding first was collected almost a year ago. Donations are still being accepted to reach the goal amount.

Red Wing, Cannon Falls and Miesville will host the 2028 Minnesota Amateur Baseball State Tournaments.