News

Fisher Cat’s Stadium Rises October 15, 2004

MANCHESTER — You need only a little imagination to tell that a ballpark is growing from a dusty parcel along the Merrimack River. The red brick wall has penned in the outfield and the towering steel skeleton has provided the outline for luxury suites and the main concourse level. The concrete shell for the visitors dugout is set along third base and the field is staked out, with sod slated to be put down next week. “You can see where the base paths are and where the mound is,” New Hampshire Fisher Cats General Manager Shawn Smith said yesterday.

A dozen Fisher Cats staffers toured the ballpark site. Assistant General Manager Jeff Tagliaferro pictured in his mind all the fans walking on the yet-to-be-completed concourse come Opening Day April 7. “It’s just so cool to think about that,” he said.

The city borrowed $27.5 million, which will be repaid from rent the team pays and new property taxes generated elsewhere at the riverfront site on the east side of the Merrimack River, south of the Millyard. The $27.5 million will pay for a new 6,500-seat ballpark and renovations to Gill Stadium, where the team played its inaugural season this year.

A Hilton Garden Inn, townhouses and condominium towers will become stadium neighbors over the next few years.

Smith explained that gear for the grounds crew will be stored on the first-base side and batting cages will be placed under the third-base stands. The bullpens will be along the field in foul territory. “The concourse for the most part is covered under the suite level,” Smith said. The seating bowl will have aluminum flooring. “You’re still going to get that loud noise,” he said. Carpenter Phil Bailey worked on Central High’s renovation and yesterday built a concrete form for a section of the center-field wall. “It’s all the same, concrete is concrete,” he said, before adding: “It’s sort of nice doing something people will enjoy, hopefully.”