Upgrades to new stadium? Twins will pay

The team has pledged an additional $13 million for Target Field enhancements, increasing its total contribution to the project by more than $55 million.

By PATRICE RELERFORD, Star Tribune

Last update: May 16, 2009 - 12:02 AM

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Rooftop seating and heat in the main concourse are among the new features being added to Target Field in preparation for the Minnesota Twins' moving into the ballpark next April.

The Twins, who will pay for the new features, announced the $13 million in additional enhancements Friday along with the Minnesota Ballpark Authority, which will own and operate the $545 million facility. The Twins will contribute a total of $185 million, an increase of $55 million from their pledge when public funding for the stadium was approved in 2006. The Twins also will pay for the stadium's upkeep.

"When we passed the bill in 2006, the team's only responsibility was to the [construction of the] ballpark," said Dan Kenney, executive director of the Ballpark Authority.

The new spending plan approved by the Ballpark Authority board Friday includes more bathrooms and retails spaces, a large high-definition scoreboard and a roof deck for fans. The main concourse of the new stadium will feature radiant heat or heat supplied directly to the wall panels or ceiling. The new scoreboard will include a video screen that is reportedly nine times larger than those used in the Metrodome.

"We're only going to do this once, so there's a strong commitment from the Pohlad family and the team to make Target Field one of the best ballparks in America," said Twins President Dave St. Peter.

When the Twins agreed to a 25-year marketing deal with Target Corp. in September 2008 to name the 40,000-seat stadium Target Field, both sides pledged $4.5 million each to Target Plaza -- a pedestrian bridge and public gathering space that connects the ballpark to downtown.

Patrice Relerford • 612-673-4395