[Mpls] Twins Stadium: top price, 'average' ballpark

[David Brauer]

> =46rom today's PiPress today:
>
> Minneapolis' Warehouse District could soon be home to the most=20
> expensive open-air baseball park yet.
>
> The Twins' plan exceeds price tags for baseball stadiums built in the=20=

> past 15 years by tens of millions of dollars, even factoring for=20
> inflation, economists say. The average cost of a baseball stadium=20
> built between 1989 and 2004 =97 with or without a roof =97 was $345=20
> million in today's dollars. The Twins' stadium is expected to cost=20
> $478 million.
>
> Minneapolis' Warehouse District could soon be home to the most=20
> expensive open-air baseball park yet.

Based on my research, this is factually accurate but a wee bit=20
misleading.

For sure, the Twins' stadium would cost more than any other open-air=20
ballpark =97 mostly because it's the newest.

The story averages ballparks built since 1990 to get the $345 million=20
average, but doesn't specifically mention the last two roofless parks:=20=

San Diego's PETCO Field and Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park.

Both parks opened in 2004; PETCO cost $449 million and Citizens Bank=20
cost $458 million. They were built from 2001 to 2004, so a $478 million=20=

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=20
excellent look at the staggering and questionable cost inflation in=20
these things.

(Camden Yards cost $100 million in 1992 =97 or $137 million in 2005=20
dollars. I know steel, land and labor costs have all risen faster than=20=

standard CPI inflation, but I'll be darned if I can figure out where=20
all that extra cost comes from. I haven't seen any amenities the Twins=20=

park would have that Camden doesn't.)

My point, though, is that such inflation isn't particular to the Twins=20=

=97 as the San Diego and Philadelphia examples show.

You can look at Skyway News' recent story =97 with detailed construction=20=

cost and ticket-price comparisons =97 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=20=

or political endorsement of the plan.

David Brauer
Kingfield
Editor, Skyway News & Southwest Journal=