During Catie Griggs’ introductory news conference as the Orioles’ president of business operations in September, she joked about the much-maligned sound system at Camden Yards.

“Rumor has it that there’s some audio things we might be looking to improve,” she said with a smile.

That’s no longer a rumor.

The Maryland Board of Public Works on Wednesday approved $135 million in bond financing for Oriole Park at Camden Yards. That money will go toward a new sound system and videoboard for Baltimore’s ballpark and is expected to be installed ahead of the 2026 season, an Orioles spokesperson said.

Improvements to the outdated sound system — which can be difficult to hear or decipher in some sections of the stadium — and the relatively small videoboard were expected to be atop the Orioles and Maryland Stadium Authority’s list for renovations. The spokesperson said Camden Yards will temporarily upgrade its sound system for the 2025 season.

“Those who attend a lot of Orioles games as I do, we cannot wait for the revamped sound system,” Gov. Wes Moore said with a laugh during the meeting Wednesday morning.

After agreeing to a long-term lease extension in December 2023, the Orioles are set to benefit from roughly $400 million in publicly funded ballpark upgrades. That begins with the $135 million the stadium authority, which owns Oriole Park and M&T Bank Stadium, submitted to the Board of Public Works, the state’s spending board, for approval Wednesday. The remaining funds will be approved in future rounds of financing.

The stadium’s control room and chiller plant will also be renovated, among other improvements.

“Together with the Baltimore Orioles, MSA looks forward to sharing information about the first of the multi-phase, multi-year improvements to the ballpark,” the stadium authority said in a statement.

Michael Frenz, the stadium authority’s executive director, said during the meeting that the upgrades will help to “provide the kind of excellent stadium experience people have come to expect.” MSA’s Board of Directors approved the proposal Tuesday, forwarding it to the Board of Public Works.

The $135 million, which was funded by the stadium authority selling bonds to United Kingdom-based pension insurer Rothesay Life, stems from a 2022 law passed by the Maryland General Assembly and stamped by then-Gov. Larry Hogan. The law allows the stadium authority to borrow $1.2 billion for the Ravens’ M&T Bank Stadium and Oriole Park — $600 million for each. To receive the full amount, though, each team was required to sign a lease agreement that lasted long enough for the state to pay off the bonds. State lottery revenue is expected to pay off the bonds.

The Ravens quickly signed a lease agreement through 2037 to gain access to roughly $450 million, but the Orioles and then-CEO and Chairman John Angelos dragged out negotiations, eventually agreeing just weeks before the deadline to a 15-year lease that can extend as long as 30 years. A few months later, the Angelos family sold its stake in the team to a group led by now-owner David Rubenstein.

That agreement guarantees the ballclub will remain at Oriole Park through 2038 and gives it access to about $400 million of the $600 million in bond financing. The other $200 million hinges on the team and the state extending the lease, which can be done through 2053 if the sides agree to a ground lease.

The renovations to Oriole Park will be the next chapter for what’s considered to be one of MLB’s crown jewels since its opening in 1992. Changes could also be coming to the surrounding area as Rubenstein works to negotiate a development rights agreement for the state-owned parking lots around the ballpark.

There have been several changes to the ballpark in recent years. Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias implemented a plan entering the 2022 season to drastically alter the left field dimensions, pushing the wall back nearly 30 feet and raising it about 6 feet.

After three seasons of the experiment, Elias and company changed course this offseason, announcing the Orioles would be bringing the wall in for a “happy medium,” admitting the club “overcorrected” in 2022. The changes will bring the left field wall in between 9 and 20 feet and reduce its height between 5 and 6 feet. There will be a gap between the new wall and the old wall without seats, though Mr. Splash’s platform in the Bird Bath Splash Zone has been widened to stretch from Sections 84 to 86.

The Orioles also took down The Sun sign above the center field scoreboard in February 2023, replacing it last summer with a T. Rowe Price sign. They also added T. Rowe Price signage and a patch to players’ uniforms last season as part of the club’s multiyear partnership with the Baltimore-based investment management firm.

Griggs, who left the Seattle Mariners to join the Orioles last year, said she wants to protect the “integrity” of Camden Yards’ timeless nature while also modernizing and updating the ballpark for fans. That work could go a long way in securing the first All-Star Game at Camden Yards since 1993.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said before last year’s All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas, that the Orioles have “expressed an interest” in hosting. Camden Yards is one of the few MLB parks to go more than 30 years without hosting the event.

Rubenstein said during his introductory news conference that bringing the Midsummer Classic back to Baltimore was among his goals as Orioles owner. But first, he said he would want the stadium upgrades — perhaps the ones in the plan for 2026 — in place by the time Oriole Park would host the All-Star festivities.

“We hope by that time the stadium will be rehabilitated a bit, and therefore, we’d like to show it off,” Rubenstein said in March. “Once we have the rehabilitated Camden Yards, I think it would be a great time to then show it off. We’ll make sure we have it completed, though, but we are interested in it and I am familiar with the situation.”

Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at jameyer@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer.