KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Mayor Glenn Jacobs proclaimed Nov. 2 ‘Tennessee Smokies Day’ in Knox County on Thursday as the $114-million future home of the team continued to take shape in the background.

Jacobs and Boyd Sports CEO Doug Kirchhofer were at the stadium site celebrating not only the Smokies’ recent championship win, but also the progress of the construction.

It’s been a labor of love as construction continues its progression in the Old City on the multi-use stadium that will one day go from dirt and exposed steel beams to a 7,000-seat multiuse stadium that will also host soccer matches, festivals, and concerts.

“It’s not only a stadium, it’s also the private development that’s coming up around it. The potential transformation that it all represents for this side of town is really important,” Mayor Jacobs said. “This is a lot of work to put together as far as the financing and all those things and now of course a lot more work going into the construction.”

As the building continues, the stadium itself is beginning to take shape, something those involved are happy to see.

“It’s really exciting, as I mentioned in my remarks we can really see the scope and size of the building when you look at the steel that’s been erected,” Doug Kirchhofer said. “We’ve made great progress and we are excited for what’s to come.”

The project is slated for completion in time for the 2025 baseball season. That two-year window seemed ambitious when construction first began.

“I was thinking to myself, ‘two years, that’s a long time.’ Then you come out here and are like ‘oh my gosh, they are going to do all of this in two years,'” Mayor Jacobs said. “Then you see the all the progress that’s been made and I think it’s phenomenal. To have a project like this which is on time, everything is going really well, it just speaks volumes to everyone who is involved.”

One thing Kirchhofer said was even though rain would be nice, those working on the project are happy that the weather has not played a role in the progress of stadium construction.

The new stadium is set to open in April of 2025 with the neighboring 233-unit Yardley Flats apartment development and a separate condominium complex finishing around the same time.

Want to keep an eye on the construction progress? Developers have installed an on-site camera system that allows you to see the sight from different angles. City of Knoxville Communications staff will also be providing regular construction updates at www.KnoxvilleTn.gov/stadium.