The Indians yesterday announced that there will be a new club behind home plate on Progressive Field's main level, which "highlights the second phase of renovations to the ballpark," according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER. The new club "will include a full bar, concessions, a customer-service center and a glass front so fans can watch the game." It will be available only to Diamond and Field Box Front season-ticket holders, and "will stay open after games." The Indians also announced an "expansion of concessions for the entire ballpark similar to what was done in the right field stands this year." The team said that the renovations "will be done in time" for the '16 season and it "plans to work with the Gateway Economic Development Corp. and city leaders to gain final approval for the project." The Indians said a "large, large majority" of the latest renovations will be privately funded. A small portion, which will "go toward things such as heavy machinery in new concession areas, will come from the sin tax" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 8/13). In Cleveland, Andrew Tobias notes the GEDC yesterday approved a $16M request from the Indians for a new scoreboard system that "could be financed by taxpayers." The system "could include a main center-field display measuring 60 feet tall and 237 feet wide -- nearly three times the square-footage of the current display." The GEDC "approved the scoreboard overhaul" as part of a larger $27M project. The proposal, which "also includes a replacement of the facility's heating and cooling system among other work, now is headed to Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, which will consider whether to pay for the project." The public "is responsible for any maintenance projects at Progressive Field and Quicken Loans Arena costing more than $500,000, under the terms of the teams' lease with Gateway" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 8/13).
