Reviewing the New Stadium Part 1

Over the past several years Senators fans have heard the promises of a new stadium and each time it never happened. Now under new ownership and management, combined with funding from the state and the City of Harrisburg it seems as though it is Finally Harrisburg’s Turn to receive a much needed upgrade!!! As my earlier post noted the renovations will be a two-part process. Phase 1 is scheduled to be finished before the 2009 season. Phase 2 will begin after the 2009 season and is scheduled for completion for the 2010 season. Throughout this article Harrisburg Senators GM, Randy Whitaker was kind enough to offer some comments regarding the new stadium project.

Before I get started I want to make clear that the designs are still in process and there may be changes. Changes might take place during construction that could possibly eliminate various features. If changes are made during construction and they are brought to my attention I will pass them along to you. For purposes of this article I will be using the information contained in the press release and the 7 design images to evaluate the new stadium.

One of the features I like most in the new stadium are the dugout suites located on the 3rd base side (pictured above). I always liked sitting in the red reserve seating on the 1st or 3rd base sides in the current stadium. Those seats are almost at field level and for a photographer it offers a decent perspective and many angles to ‘shoot’ from, assuming you are allowed to move around. The dugout seating in the new stadium is as close to sitting in the team dugouts as a fan can get. Once I moved to credentialed media and was allowed to shoot from the ‘photog well’ adjacent to the team dugout it offered a completely different perspective and feel to watching a game. This is a really nice feature that I think any diehard-fan who wants to feel like they’re “in the game” should take advantage. GM Randy Whitaker noted that “the dugout suites are just mini-suites on field level. Not luxury – bring your own concessions. Just a cool field level perspective like the players have.” Both Randy and I aren’t aware of any other minor league stadiums with the dugout suites configuration like the one purposed in Harrisburg but he noted that he’s “been to Lehigh, and they have dugout level seating behind home plate.”

Another feature of interest is the batting cages (pictured above between the plaza entrance and the office building). During my initial review of the new designs I noticed the batting cages near the entrance. I asked Randy if they would be available to fans or players and he said “The batting cages under the offices will be both. The two on the east end will be for the teams. The rest will be public (assuming we can work out an arrangement with the batting cage guy by the bridge).” Randy also noted that “the batting cages won’t be operational under the offices until the 2010 season.”

Outfield seating is something Harrisburg has lacked in past years. This issue will be resolved with the addition of a boardwalk and outfield seating, which is scheduled for completion in April 2009 as part of phase 1 (pictured above). This is a good idea. I was in Reading, which has an outfield boardwalk (kind of), and the thought of being able to walk completely around the park without leaving the stadium is nice. An added bonus is being able to sit on the boardwalk, enjoy the game with your favorite beverage and have the opportunity to go home with a souvenir homerun ball.

Over the past few season the scoreboard has been a topic of discussion among faithful Senators fans. Complaints ranged from inaccurate stats, stats not updated during the game and bulbs being out and, parts of the board not functioning. Personally I only use the scoreboard to see what inning it is and what the score is; on occasion I will look to see who is at bat. The new scoreboard (pictured above) will be a welcomed upgrade. It will function properly at some point but the accurate stats will be up to the people ‘controlling the boards’.

Another feature that goes along with the scoreboard, in a way, is the new outfield wall with static advertisement panels (pictured above). In a two-part question I asked Randy, Once all phases are complete (in 2010), will the in-game entertainment be solely driven by the static panels and the scoreboard? Or will there still be fans/staff on-field during games? "There will still be some on-field entertainment. We’ll also have the added “stages” of the dugout tops that we have never been able to use under the current design." This is something that I saw work effectively at Frederick last year. It keeps the game moving and allows fewer opportunities for the staff/fans to delay the game.

A family oriented feature slated for completion during Phase 2 is the creation of the “Midway” which will include activities and specialty areas. I’m sure this will be a welcomed addition to parents with small children. It will also provide families and teens a place to find additional entertainment during the game. I asked Randy if the “Midway’ entertainment would be something like what is offered in Frederick; where they have amusement park type entertainment and play area? Or what types of entertainment are planned for the “Midway? He said that its “Still under development, but I’d think more along the line of Reading/Altoona/State College with their carnival style games.”

Note: Part 2 will be posted tomorrow. Be sure to leave feed back with your thoughts and comments regarding the new stadium.