Playing field goes in as Erlanger Park is two months from Opening Day
Erlanger Park days after the playing field was installed on February 12, 2026.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- The construction of the newest stadium in Chattanooga is rounding third base.
The sodding of the future home of the Chattanooga Lookouts, Erlanger Park, began this week.
Lookouts president Rich Mozingo says the process of putting the field just started days ago.
He said, “It’s a baseball field now you know it’s so far it’s just been a construction site and a bunch of sand out there it’s a baseball field today and that’s really exciting for all of us… Believe it or not man they started on Monday on this thing turf started going down on Tuesday morning and they’ve just flown. It looks amazing out there.”
This progress comes as officials told the Sports Authority Board on Thursday that the project remains on track and on budget.
They say three-fourths of the planned $115 million budget has been utilized, as things continue to move fast before Opening Day.
Mozingo said, ” We’re gonna finish up the team area. It looks like today, actually which is which is very exciting for us, but we are finishing up in the suite area. We are putting countertops amd furniture in there as we still gotta move into almost every single one of our spaces. We moved into our office about a week ago, but you know there’s still furniture that’s gotta go into the power house and into the pattern shop and all those things.”
Also unveiled on Thursday is the public art installations that will greet guests and travelers who come to or near the ballpark.
These include entry gates with murals of Chattanooga landmarks and a welcome to Chattanooga that will be visible from I-24 coming into town from the west.
Chattanooga public art director Kate Kirnie said, “It’s a really big task to portray visually. There’s only so much that can be captured and in what you can gather walking past something.”
She says they are looking to purpose artwork for the entire South Broad District if the city approves funding.
As the stadium takes shape, the efforts to keep the audience out of the sun are coming to life.
Mozingo said, “I watched cameras all throughout the course of the summer. It looks like when the first pitch is thrown about 85% of the seats will be in the shade, not just not looking at the sun, but already in the shade.”
Additionally, the closed section of the Tennessee Riverpark is coming together at the Wheland Foundry, and is scheduled to reopen when the stadium opens in April.
Mozingo said, “Part of the design of the ballpark was to make sure that the entrance to the ballpark came through the Riverwalk. The Riverwalk is wider. It’s gonna be better than it’s ever been right now but it’s also gonna increase by a third of a mile because people are gonna be able to come into the ballpark and walk around the concourse anytime they’re out on the Riverwalk.”
Tickets begin going on sale next Tuesday at 10 a.m. for the first game and Opening Day against the Montgomery Biscuits will be April 14.
