There is a ton of activity over there right now. The parking lot is crammed full of equipment, beams, mounds of dirt, bulldozers… it’s amazing to think that there will be games in four months.
They are building the new structure which will surround the previously existing seating bowl. They started directly behind home plate, and will build down the baselines.
Here is a view from the parking lot:
The beams that will hold the new roof will fit into the slots at the top
The stairway on the left will be one of the new interior stairwells. The one on the right is scaffolding. Here’s a closer look:
See that wood fencing at ground level to the right of the stairs? That surrounds the hole that is the base of the elevator shaft.
You can start to see the two new interior levels, which will hold the suites, the Summit Club, the press box, and the team offices – those are the top two quadrants in the photo below; the general concourse will have a higher ceiling at roughly the height of the second horizontal beam of the structure.
It's going to be a lot taller than before
View from the left (third base) side
They have started to turn the corner down the first base line:
On the right the new concessions area is going up
This is going to be the new concessions area on the first base side of the concourse:
Not quite ready to start serving Mountain Dogs
Our Food and Beverage director will have a unique office:
Great view of the parking lot, Corey!
They built the concrete that surrounds the berm – or grassy hill – that will be available for general admission seating down the right field line. For now, you’re going to need to use your imagination here.
You gotta trust me - this will be a nice place to sit, especially on a sunny day.
It's going to be a grassy hill, not a mud pit - really!
Here’s a look from standing in right field:
This is the longest and most unruly I have ever seen the Cheney Stadium grass
"When am I going to get to work on my field?"
Here is the new tunnel on the third base side, which will go from the dugout to the new, under-the-seats home locker room.
The Rainiers are switching to the third base dugout
My new broadcast booth will be right at this corner, right above the top row of seats - but right now, it’s just empty sky.
At least, they tell me it will be here. But there's nothing... wait, is this a not-so-subtle message?
Remember last time, when I said the old visitor’s clubhouse was about to get bulldozed? It’s still there! That thing is like a cockroach, you just can’t kill it.
Actually, I think they are going to transport and use it somewhere else in the city.
It’s awesome seeing the project start to take shape. I’ll go back and take more pictures in a few weeks!
Hopefully they are playing baseball here on 15 April instead of a 2nd series in Sac.