At last night's meeting of the House local govt affairs committee, Twins President Jerry Bell said that there were some things added to the Twins stadium to protect the fans once it was determined that there wouldn't be a roof. He didn't specify, but I assume this means more overhanging areas to prevent fans from getting wet, but it could also mean more lucrative meeting areas and restaurant sections accessible to club seat ticketholders. Bell also said that the inflationary cost of building construction was a factor in the rising price of the ballpark compared to others.
Britt Robson Lyndale ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Brauer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2005 11:42 AM Subject: Re: [Mpls] Twins Stadium: top price, 'average' ballpark > From today's PiPress today: > > Minneapolis' Warehouse District could soon be home to the most > expensive open-air baseball park yet. > > The Twins' plan exceeds price tags for baseball stadiums built in the > past 15 years by tens of millions of dollars, even factoring for > inflation, economists say. The average cost of a baseball stadium > built between 1989 and 2004 — with or without a roof — was $345 > million in today's dollars. The Twins' stadium is expected to cost > $478 million. > > Minneapolis' Warehouse District could soon be home to the most > expensive open-air baseball park yet. Based on my research, this is factually accurate but a wee bit misleading. For sure, the Twins' stadium would cost more than any other open-air ballpark — mostly because it's the newest. The story averages ballparks built since 1990 to get the $345 million average, but doesn't specifically mention the last two roofless parks: San Diego's PETCO Field and Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park. Both parks opened in 2004; PETCO cost $449 million and Citizens Bank cost $458 million. They were built from 2001 to 2004, so a $478 million Twins stadium built from 2006 to 2009 is right in line, cost-wise. That's my only significant issue with the story. Otherwise, it's an excellent look at the staggering and questionable cost inflation in these things. (Camden Yards cost $100 million in 1992 — or $137 million in 2005 dollars. I know steel, land and labor costs have all risen faster than standard CPI inflation, but I'll be darned if I can figure out where all that extra cost comes from. I haven't seen any amenities the Twins park would have that Camden doesn't.) My point, though, is that such inflation isn't particular to the Twins — as the San Diego and Philadelphia examples show. You can look at Skyway News' recent story — with detailed construction cost and ticket-price comparisons — here: Story: http://www.skywaynews.net/articles/2005/05/02/news/news01.txt Stadium costs: http://www.skywaynews.net/pdfs/stadiums.pdf Ticket prices http://www.skywaynews.net/pdfs/tickets.pdf Standard disclaimer: discussing facts and figures does not imply moral or political endorsement of the plan. David Brauer Kingfield Editor, Skyway News & Southwest Journal REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
