Kelly Automotive Park in Butler will be renamed Michelle Krill Field at Historic Pullman Park beginning Jan. 1.

The Butler Parks, Recreation Grounds and Facilities Authority on Monday unanimously approved a five-year contract with Shaun Krill, owner of Krill Recycling of Fenelton, to rename the stadium after his wife. Michelle Krill died in June from liver cancer. She was 35.

Krill will pay the authority $20,000 per year over the term of the contract. A plaque with an image of his late wife and biographical information about her will be hung in the foyer of the stadium.

“This is just my way of wanting to give back to the community and honor her at the same time,” Krill said in a phone interview Monday night.

He said he took Michelle to Mexico to seek treatment and paid for the trip “out of pocket.” When they came back, they learned family and friends organized a benefit to help cover the cost.

“It was unbelievable, the support we got from people,” Krill said.

Michelle Krill played basketball at Moniteau High School and she helped her team win the District 9 championship, he said.

She coached Moniteau’s elementary basketball team, owned Michelle Krill Haircare and was an instructor at Butler Health and Fitness.

Krill said his late wife did everything with zest and passion.

“Everything was 110 percent. Her smile just changed everything everywhere we went. She was about having a good time and living life and doing things,” he said.

“She was very athletic,” Cherie Readie, authority chairwoman, said about Krill.

The naming rights contract does not include a sign for the recycling business, but Krill is permitted to advertise the business, Readie said.

The authority’s five-year contract with Kelly Automotive expires at the end of the year.

The contract with Krill will open the stadium to more advertisers and sponsors.

Readie said it was difficult for other auto dealers to advertise under the current contract, but Krill has placed no limitations on advertisers or sponsors, including other recycling firms.

The new naming rights contract includes other changes at the facility as well.

Krill Recycling donated 10 TVs that will be placed in suites, the VIP lounge and the store.

In other business, the authority increased fees for baseball and softball teams to use the stadium.

All the fees increased by $20 or $30, the fee to use the stadium at night was increased to $100 from $50 and an optional $60 fee will be charged for having emergency medical staff on hand for games.

The fee for youth organizations, tournament organizations and club teams varies from $100 to $135 depending on the number of games being played.

High school fees vary from $145 to $185 and college fees range from $200 to $225 depending on the number of games played.

In addition, the authority is allowing concession stand vendor, the Butler Hot Dog Shop, to convert the park store into a cafe that is open to the public.