Brian Wickline, president of the Chillicothe Paints, asked the Ross County Commissioners to help pay for the end of renovations.
The Ross County Commissioners allowed a little more additional funds to get VA Memorial Stadium finished for this season. Bryan Wickline, president of the Chillicothe Paints since 1994, asked the commissioners to cover cost overruns on March 24th.
As the Scioto Post reported last summer, the Ohio House of Representatives passed the state’s two-year construction budget for capital projects. A major local highlight was the allocation of $500,000 for Veterans Administration Memorial Stadium, home of the Chillicothe Paints. This funding was used to replace the stadium’s 17-year-old turf field, restore the outfield wall, and upgrade seating.
But Wickline told the commissioners that the grant has run short in the face of increased costs, and asked the commissioners for little more than $19K to finish things quickly for the rapidly nearing baseball season.
He told them that they would be paid back from the earnings from games there. The commissioners were a little unhappy with the request that added to previous costs, but they voted to make the payment.
The new artificial turf in VA Memorial Stadium, from the Paints website.
VA Memorial Stadium is owned by the Veterans Administration, and Ross County leases it – then subleases it to the Chillicothe Paints, who manage the 1954-1955 stadium three miles north of Chillicothe on teh grounds of the Veterans Administration Medical Center.
Wickline said the Prospect League baseball team is not the only athletics that happen there. High school and college baseball teams use it so much that Wickline said, with a limitation of two games a night, he still has to turn away business – which may come from as far as Columbus or Kentucky.
He also pointed out that the Paints do not charge rent to teams, but instead collect admissions and concessions.
The stadium has been the home of the Paints since 1993, and Wickline said that they have invested more than $2M into the facility owned by the federal government.
From the Chillicothe Paints website:
"In 1993, with the cooperative effort of the V.A. Administration, the Paints' organization completely renovated the stadium.
"During the winter of 2006, a cooperative effort between the Ross County Commissioners and the Convention Facilities Authority resulted in VA Memorial Stadium receiving a new playing surface named FieldTurf. In addition, a wooden patio and deck was constructed along the left-field foul line and expanded again in 2011. A new roof covering the entire stadium was installed in 2010.
"VA Memorial Stadium is now a true multi-purpose facility that hosts numerous non-baseball events including girls’ high school and collegiate fastpitch softball games, and an adult slow-pitch softball league and tournament. Also, many concerts and other entertainment events are held at the stadium…VA Memorial Stadium is also the site of numerous collegiate and high school regular-season baseball and softball games in the spring…
"Prior to the 2025 season, the venerable ballpark saw the installation of a brand new AstroTurf Diamond Series playing surface, replacing the aging turf that was originally installed for the 2006 season…
"In addition to the new field, a new outfield wall replaces the original that was erected prior to the Paints' inaugural season in 1993, new bullpen mounds were built, padding was added to the backstop, new fencing added in front of the bleachers on the first and third baselines, new pitch clocks were added for compliance with NCAA and Prospect League rules, fiber optic cable has been installed to facilitate a new five-camera video streaming setup, along with various other minor improvements."
Hear Wickline in his own words in the audio interview article on the Scioto Post, where he also explains the situation of VA Memorial Stadium. Sources for images in the video:
- The Chillicothe Paints website: Veterans Administration Memorial Stadium
- V.A. Memorial Stadium unofficial Facebook page
- Website of “Dr. Brian Cohen: Orthopedic Surgeon Chillicothe, OH”
- “Cohen Orthopedic medical/sports campus” on Develop Chillicothe (2023-03-20)
- “A Brief History of the VA Medical Center, Chillicothe, Ohio,” a 2022 pdf of a presentation from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (apparently no longer available)
- Facebook post by Bobby Barnhart on VA Memorial Stadium (2021)
- Dayton Dragons Professional Baseball Team: Team website and Wikipedia entry
- And my personal photography, including of the VAMC Chillicothe campus and a September 2022 Ford Tri-Motor flight.
Find more in the article on the Scioto Post, including a video interview.
Kevin Coleman covers local government and culture for the Scioto Post and iHeart Media Southern Ohio. For stories or questions, contact Kevin Coleman or the iHeart Southern Ohio Newsroom.
The outside of VA Memorial Stadium.