The Twins unveiled their design of a new ballpark,
complete with a retractable roof 20 stories high, 42,000
seats, a grass field and a cost estimate of at least $345M,
according to Jay Weiner in the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE.
The team's design is not necessarily what would be built if
the stadium were financed with public money, as a public
body would likely oversee design and construction. While
the retractable roof costs between $75-100M, with 40% of
ticket buyers from outside the Twin Cities, team officials
want to assure commuting fans that games will be played. The
design also calls for 52 luxury suites, with 12 seats each,
as well as three party suites. The Twins have received
commitments to buy 38 suites at prices between $65,000-
115,000 (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 2/1). Twins President
Jerry Bell called the seating area of 42,000 "the most
intimate in the league" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 2/1).
WHO'S BUYING? Jay Weiner analyzes the stadium debate
under the header "The Stadium vs. The Public's Interest,"
noting that after a "noisy week" on the Twins ballpark
front, "a question lingered: How is the public interest
being served in the ballpark deal?" (Minneapolis STAR
TRIBUNE, 2/2). With confusion surround in the Twins
financial offer, Sid Hartman writes that team Owner Carl
Pohlad's needs to "explain exactly what Pohlad would
contribute to the stadium and what he would get in return"
(Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 2/1).
