Corrections & Clarifications: A previous version of the story incorrectly reported the amount Maricopa County transferred to the Diamondbacks upon signing the stadium deal. The county transferred $13.5 million and may transfer an additional $1.5 million in three years.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have completed hardly any stadium repairs since they took control of Chase Field last year, despite previously insisting nearly $8 million in upgrades would be necessary during the 2018-2019 off-season, records obtained by The Arizona Republic show.

The team took responsibility for all stadium maintenance and event booking last May as part of a deal with Maricopa County to settle a long-running feud over how to pay for roughly $187 million in projected stadium renovations over the next decade. The county still owns the building and the land.

The Diamondbacks say they are spending slowly to conserve money for future repairs.

Two county supervisors said they were surprised not to see more repairs by now, but the county chairman said he is confident the team is prioritizing renovations correctly.

The deal

The team agreed to pay for and manage all future repairs. In exchange, the Diamondbacks were allowed to coordinate and keep the profits of all non-baseball events such as concerts, as well as gained the freedom to leave Chase Field in 2022, five years earlier than the original contract allowed.

If the team moves to a new stadium within Maricopa County after 2022, they would face no financial penalty. To leave Arizona, the team would have to pay the county fees of between $5 million and $25 million.

The Diamondbacks also were given immediate access to $13.5 million, plus they may get an additional $1.5 million in three years, from a repair fund the county had collected from rent the team paid and a portion of event proceeds.

If the team fails to spend all of that on repairs by the end of the 10-year contract, any of that remaining money would go back to the county.

The team also agreed to put another roughly $11 million to $13 million from rent and fees in the pot over the next several years.

The county hopes millions more will be generated from non-baseball events and the team's own spending on non-capital repairs. The Diamondbacks can only spend that money on repairs during the life of the contract.

If any of that money remains once the contract ends, the team could keep it.

In addition, the county promised to reimburse the team up to $20 million for repairs at the end of the new contract. That payment would come from leasing, selling or licensing the stadium real estate.

D-Backs spend $150,000

The Diamondbacks also agreed to submit quarterly reports to the county Board of Supervisors about the team's spending on repairs.

The reports show the team spent about $150,000 from May 10 to Dec. 31 last year to fix freight elevators and purchase back-up lighting supplies.

That spending contrasts with the nearly $8 million in renovations that Diamondbacks President and CEO Derrick Hall told the county in 2016 would be required during the 2018-2019 off-season.

"The Arizona Diamondbacks have identified several projects that are necessary over the next five years," Hall wrote to the county in June 2016. "The projects were identified and prioritized by the Team and are based upon our knowledge of the building and our understanding of the approximate costs associated with each."

His letter listed ongoing structural repairs, suite renovations, new paint, and upgrades to elevators and the HVAC system needed in 2018-2019.

From that list, the county argued in 2016 that cosmetic improvements were the team's duty. But it paid for structural repairs — such as replacing rebar that supports seat sections and had rusted from the team's power washing — for several years until signing the deal with the Diamondbacks in May.

The team has completed no concrete or steel repairs since they took over, according to the quarterly reports.

The Diamondbacks pledged to "maintain Chase Field in a condition suitable for MLB play ... (including) compliance with all life and safety requirements."

But the deal does not provide for formal stadium inspections to assure the Board of Supervisors that the team is meeting that standard. The quarterly reports are one way the Board of Supervisors keeps tabs, according to county officials.

"The team has been given responsibility to take care of their own house and Maricopa County believes they take that seriously," county spokesman Fields Moseley told The Republic in December. "The county can take issues back to a judge if it becomes clear Chase Field is falling into disrepair."

'We're holding our breath'

The Diamondbacks told The Republic in a written statement that the team is being careful with its repair spending because of an ongoing concern about the amount of money set aside in stadium accounts to deal with a lengthy list of repairs for Chase Field, which was built in 1998.

"With limited funds in those reserves, it is now our responsibility to better prioritize how and when we take on each while trying to preserve the venue as best we can," the team statement said. "Naturally, the safety and security of our fans moves items to the top of our priority list."

Hall, the team president and CEO, went into more detail about repair plans Tuesday in a radio interview.

The Diamondbacks can't fix everything right away, he said.

"Let's prioritize and make sure that money is there, we continue to increase that fund, so that in the case of an emergency ... we do have the money to address those issues," Hall said on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. "That's the smart, responsible way to go about this. Because we now have a building over 21 years old that's been sitting and roasting in the desert and when you're opening and closing that roof every day, the wear and tear. We're holding our breath."

The Diamondbacks hope to boost funding for repairs by booking more events at the stadium, such as concerts and sporting events like college football and professional wrestling.

The team landed a Billy Joel concert after taking over event management from longtime booking agency Select Artists Associates.

County will wait and see

Two top Maricopa County officials said they were surprised the team hasn't done more.

"I did expect to see more items identified ... that needed attention," said Supervisor Steve Chucri, who helped broker the deal with the team last year. "However, I'm not encouraging spending money for the sake of spending money."

"We're still early on in the agreement, and as things progress we'll probably see more spending (on capital repairs) than we've seen to date," he added.

Supervisor Clint Hickman said it's strange not to see more repairs completed in the eight months after the team took over.

"I'm glad they haven't spent all the money on something I would deem frivolous ... but to spend (hardly anything), that's difficult for me to think about," Hickman said. "That proves the point it wasn't a stadium in danger of falling down like (the team) made it sound" during the Diamondbacks' lawsuit against the county.

Team officials dispute Hickman's characterization and said their concern is more long-term.

Chairman Bill Gates, a key negotiator on the team agreement, said he trusts the Diamondbacks are making the right decisions.

"I have every reason to believe they'll address the concerns they had at the stadium," he said. "I don't intend to micromanage that, but we'll definitely continue to follow this. ... I have confidence they'll do what they need to do."

Supervisor Steve Gallardo did not return requests for comment, saying through a spokesman that he would defer to Gates.

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