Pictured is Russell E. Diethrick Park in Jamestown. SUNY Jamestown Community College is hoping for a redevelopment of the stadium to host baseball, softball and soccer games on artificial turf. P-J photos by Eric Tichy

SUNY Jamestown Community College has taken an official step toward upgrading its sports facilities — seen as a way to better promote the campus and to draw students.

During a college Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday, JCC President Daniel DeMarte briefly went over the multi-million dollar project that includes the renovation of Russell E. Diethrick Park to host baseball, softball and soccer games. The stadium is situated next to the Jamestown campus on Falconer Street and is in need of a major overhaul.

An additional turf field is being proposed that DeMarte said will alleviate challenges trying to coordinate practices and games in a single space.

As was previously proposed, the project also requires Jamestown transferring the city-owned Diethrick Park to the college. DeMarte said the transfer is necessary in order to make the renovations work with regard to funding.

The project is estimated to cost just over $30 million, with half being funded through the State University of New York’s Capital Program. The college is hoping to receive additional assistance from Chautauqua County, and it’s unclear if JCC would pursue additional “sponsorships” from Jamestown in addition to the transfer of the stadium.

DeMarte noted the risks of not moving forward with the project.

“When we bring students to JCC, they’re not just visiting us,” he said. “They’re also visiting our neighboring colleges who have more state-of-the-art facilities.”

He said the college has nearly full rosters for its sport teams — currently about 160 students. He praised George Sisson, athletic director, and his team for maintaining JCC’s athletic programs, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Without some type of renovation to our facilities, what’s at stake is losing those 160 (students),” DeMarte said. “And that’s almost full roster for everything we offer.”

He said there’s enough student athletes who live on campus to fill a residence hall. “Again, if we’re not able to recruit and retain, it’s not just enrollment, it’s also our residence halls,” he said.

Community partners the college has engaged with regarding the project include Babe Ruth World Series, Chautauqua Striders, Boys and Girls Club and Collaborative Children’s Solutions, among others.

In order to have access to “critical capital funding,” DeMarte said in April that JCC would need to own the facility, already used by the college’s baseball team as well as the Jamestown Tarp Skunks of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League.

The next step for the college is to present the business plan for the stadium project to the Chautauqua County Planning Board. A meeting will take place Tuesday, Aug. 1, at JCC.

If recommended by the Planning Board, DeMarte said, the project would be taken up by the Chautauqua County Legislature. County lawmakers begin budget discussions in late October.

SUNY capital funding is part of the New York state budget; if successful, aid would be announced in the April 2024 list of projects in the executive budget.

Wally Huckno Sr., a member of JCC’s Board of Trustees, asked of an overall timeline for the project, to which DeMarte responded, “At a minimum, I would say two to three years.”

Huckno inquired if the “whole plan” is contingent on what the county Legislature says. DeMarte said there are a number of partners to consider, including the Jamestown City Council. He said a secondary plan includes moving forward with just a new soccer field.

At present, the college’s soccer team practices at much nicer high school sports complexes. Often, those practices take place after 8 p.m. when the fields are available.

Steven Abdella, counsel for JCC, went over a resolution for the board to consider.

“The step at this point is the board saying, ‘Yes, let’s bring this project to the county Planning Board (and) get their input and then react,'” Abdella said, later adding, “This is not the final bite of the apple for this board, but it’s to get that important initial review by the county Planning Board prior to moving forward.”

The board unanimously approved the resolution.