The press box that keeps watch over Derby’s Lou DeFilippo Field has seen better days. The wood is warped in spots, the plexiglass is worn, water stains plague the ceiling like acne — heck, in the early fall you better check for bee nests before sitting down in there.
But now, thanks to a grant from the Home Depot Foundation — a $5,000 sprucing up is about to happen.
For those who don’t know what a press box is — the name sums it up.
It’s the windowed box above the field where Bill Pucci Danny Shea calls games for the Derby Red Raiders during the football season. Reporters, whether print, online or radio, use the space to take notes or report on the action for whatever game is being played below. Coaches use the space for a bird’s eye view of the action.
Teams also use the structure as a meeting spot, according to Derby officials.
Most famously, at least for this web domain, the Derby press box was the site of former Valley Indy writer Jodie Mozdzer’s first-ever bee sting. It happened during the Ansonia-Derby football game on Oct. 29, 2009 at about 8:30 p.m. A number of bees had been lurking under the counter where reporters were typing on laptops.
The $5,000 grant goes to the city’s Parks and Recreation Department and was secured with the help of Derby’s Office of Economic and Community Development.
Mayor Anthony Staffieri thanked Home Depot for its generosity.
“They care about our community and they want us to know it is important for them to be a good neighbor,” Staffieri said in a prepared statement.
The Leo Ryan Athletic Complex hosts 15 football teams, and multiple soccer leagues throughout the lower Naugatuck Valley.
The press box was originally a gift of the Cirillo family, for which the city is grateful.
“Years of wear and tear have created a deteriorated building structure. Roof and siding need replacement along with the windows,” the city said in a press release.
Dennis O’Connell, director of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, also thanked Home Depot for chipping in.
In addition to doing siding and roof repairs, Home Depot is donating labor.
“I wish to thank Vince McKnight, our store manager at Derby’s Home Depot for his support of this effort,” O’Connell said in a prepared statement.