Jerry Katzoff, owner of The Katzoff group that owns the Bowling Green Hot Rods baseball team, speaks Tuesday, June 2, 2015, about the parking garage wrap at Warren County Fiscal Court at the Warren County Courthouse. (Miranda Pederson/photo@bgdailynews.com)

On April 17, 2009, Bowling Green Ballpark opened its gates for the first time with an overflow crowd of 6,886 in the 4,559-seat park to watch the Bowling Green Hot Rods play the first home game in franchise history. Sometime next week, it’s expected that the 1.5 millionth fan will enter the park.

The heavy use and normal wear and tear over that time has taken a bit of a toll on the facility, but officials said the Ballpark is in good shape and planning is underway to get even more use from the facility – an option spurred by the potential takeover of the adjacent commercial wrap by Hot Rods owner Jerry Katzoff.

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When it opened six years ago, the Ballpark was one of the first major developments in Bowling Green’s expansive Tax Increment Financing – or TIF – district which now extends from the campus of Western Kentucky University through downtown to The Medical Center area near the Barren River.

Since that standing-room only crowd watched the Hot Rods beat the Kannapolis Intimidators 8-4, the ballpark on Eighth Avenue has hosted close to 500 Minor League and college baseball games, concerts by the likes of ZZ Top and Florida Georgia Line, Easter egg hunts, professional wrestling and numerous other special events. Hot Rods Media Relations Manager Danny Reed said the franchise’s total home attendance since that first game stands at 1,495,575 in 453 games entering a homestand that begins Tuesday against the Burlington Bees. That likely means the 1.5 millionth fan will enter the Ballpark for Wednesday’s game.

The Ballpark was designed by DLR group of Omaha, Neb., and built with $25 million in city bonds by Alliance Corp. It is owned by Bowling Green Single Purpose Entity, which, as the name implies, was established solely to act as the legal owners of the ballpark; Bowling Green SPE has the same members as the Warren County Downtown Economic Development Authority, which effectively manages the facility. The Authority leases the park to the Hot Rods for $100,000 annually.

The Authority also sets aside $100,000 for maintenance of the ballpark. The Authority spent $26,956 in the fiscal year that ended June 30 on repairs – most of that on the park’s HVAC system after a lightning strike. Other repairs have been for minor things like drainage issues near dugouts.

“It’s seeing some wear and tear,” said Doug Gorman, chairman of the Authority.

“The most we’ve ever spent is this year,” said Authority member Mary Cohron.

The importance of keeping a facility in good shape is evident in the history of the Hot Rods franchise. The team, then known as the Catfish, relocated here from Columbus, Ga., after years of issues with Columbus’ city-owned Golden Park, which was built in 1926 and refurbished in 1996. The Catfish owners had gone so far as to withhold $32,000 in rent payments to protest the condition of the park, the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reported.

“Major League Baseball doesn’t take moving a team lightly, but if we don’t keep it updated and maintained, that’d be a valid reason” for a team to move, Cohron said.

The Hot Rods are responsible for maintaining things like the playing field, bathroom fixtures and kitchens. The Authority is responsible for the structure and major systems, hence the HVAC expense.

Despite the increased bills this year, officials said the Ballpark is in good shape and requires relatively little maintenance.

“The great thing about the park is the way it was constructed – all concrete,” Gorman said.

“There’s not a whole lot to maintain. We don’t have to paint it,” said Cohron.

“We try to do as much preventive maintenance as possible and we winterize the park each year,” Gorman said. But “there’s nothing in life that’s got moving parts that doesn’t need replacing every now and then.”

Hot Rods General Manager/COO Adam Nuse was in Albuquerque, N.M., this week where he toured the 11,000 seat Isotopes Park, home of the Minor League Baseball Class AAA Isotopes. Despite the fact that the Hot Rods play in the lowest rung of Minor League Baseball, Class A, and Bowling Green Ballpark is five years older than the Albuquerque facility, Nuse said the tour gave him even more appreciation for Bowling Green Ballpark.

“They wish they had some of the amenities we do. Our Corvette Club blows their club out of the water,” Nuse said. “We have a first-class facility. The HVAC system is the biggest issue we’ve had; overall it’s in great shape.”

One of the biggest potential expenses for the Hot Rods would be having to replace the playing field.

“We work hard on maintaining the field. The normal life span for a field is 10 to 15 years, but the amount of care we put into it will help us push that back,” Nuse said.

Nuse said the team invested $120,000 this season for a new playground and carousel on the first base side of the ballpark. The county is negotiating with Katzoff to take over as the developer of the troubled wrap, known as Hitcents Park Plaza, around the adjacent parking garage. Nuse said that arrangement will open the door for more use of the ballpark.

Nuse said the team is looking at possibly knocking down the wall between the playground and the plaza next to the wrap.

“That way people could use the playground all year round,” Nuse said. More concerts and other events at the ballpark are also on the agenda, he said.

Katzoff, a developer, restaurateur and owner of the Louisville and Reno, Nev., Minor League Baseball teams, is already in the process of reopening Mariah’s restaurant and 6-4-3 sports bar in the wrap through a separate arrangement. Katzoff has previously said the development may be renamed Stadium Park Plaza to tie the facility to the ballpark.

“Bowling Green Ballpark isn’t just being maintained,” Cohron said. “Thanks to our new team owner, it is being upgraded and improved. I am confident that he will continue to improve the ballpark to enhance the experience people will have there.

“Jerry Katzoff is an important partner,” she said.

— Follow Daily News city government reporter Wes Swietek on Twitter at twitter.com/BGDNgovtbeat or visit bgdailynews.com.