Photo: The Canadian Press

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The city of St. Petersburg will spend about $6.5 million to clean and protect against further damage to Tropicana Field, the home of baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Milton.

The ballpark’s translucent fiberglass dome was shredded by the Oct. 9 storm, casting doubt on whether it can be repaired in time to open the 2025 season. Major League Baseball wants the Rays play home games in the region if the stadium isn’t ready, probably at one of the many local spring training sites.

THE St. Petersburg City Council voted Thursday to approve two contracts with companies to clean up pieces of roof littering the stadium, remove damaged turf and waterproof many areas, including the scoreboard, seats, suites and press box, according to city documents. The stadium does not have a drainage system and could suffer additional damage throughout the structure from rain without its roof.

“We need to act quickly to protect the building from further damage,” said Rob Gerdes, the city administrator.

An ongoing analysis will determine what it will take to fully repair the Trop, as it is known locally, including the cost and timeline for completion. One complicating factor is the city’s plan to build a new $1.3 billion stadium that would open in 2028, part of a much larger project. urban revitalization project which was approved earlier this year. As part of the deal, the Rays commit to staying in St. Petersburg for another 30 years.

“Is this building that will only be used for three more years worth the investment we are making? said board member Brandi Gabbard.

The two cleanup and mitigation contracts are worth $3.9 million to BMS CAT and $2.5 million to Hennessy Construction Services Corp., according to city documents. The money would be part of a projected $22 million deductible the city has with Trop’s insurers, who will insist that the building be protected from further damage.

Some City Council members wanted to delay Thursday’s vote until more information about the stadium’s future was available. But that effort failed following a tie vote, and some council members said it was essential to stop any further destruction.

“It’s about stopping the bleeding. It looks like pay now or pay later, and pay more later,” said council member Gina Driscoll.

Suggestions for a temporary home for the Rays included local spring training sites used by the Phillies, Blue Jays, Yankees, Pirates and Tigers. A little further away is the Rays’ spring training complex in Port Charlotte, about 85 miles south of St. Petersburg. Another option could be the baseball stadium at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports complex near Orlando.

The Rays staff has already moved to nearby offices.

MLB hopes to have a 2025 plan in place by Christmas.

“We can make this work in a minor league park” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said during the World Series: which ended Wednesday with the victory of the Los Angeles Dodgers over the New York Yankees. “I think there’s probably some flexibility in terms of what we do with the big league schedule.”