June 25, 200816 yr Foundation, support beam damaged at ballpark site Tuesday, June 24, 2008 4:42 PM By Barbara Carmen THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH A second-story clubhouse floor is cracked and a crane is holding up a steel supporting beam at Huntington Park after a concrete footer sank over the weekend, causing an undetermined amount of damage. “There is a structural issue, and they’re working on it right now,” said Tina Guegold, spokeswoman for Nationwide Realty Investors. As the county’s owner’s representative, Nationwide is guiding construction of the $55 million ballpark in its Arena District back yard. Full story at http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/06/24/HPBEAM.html?sid=101
July 2, 200816 yr Ballpark damage could cost $200,000 Monday, June 30, 2008 - 10:21 PM By Barbara Carmen, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The bill to repair Franklin County's damaged baseball park could reach $200,000, and commissioners are preparing to sue if the contractor that sank a section doesn't pay up. The county won't say who that contractor is. “We may not release the (preliminary investigation) report until we've gotten confirmation that the contractor's insurance bond will cover the incident,” County Administrator Don L. Brown said. Construction workers discovered damage to the $55 million Arena District ballpark when they arrived at work June 23. A concrete footing, or “footer,” holding a support column had dropped 8 inches. A second-story concrete floor was cracked. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/06/30/ballpark.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=101
July 3, 200816 yr Memo blames plumber Ballpark damage was fault of Pennsylvania contractor, county told Wednesday, July 2, 2008 - 3:18 AM By Barbara Carmen THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH When Franklin County commissioners bypassed a low bidder to hire an out-of-state plumber for the new baseball stadium, Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy said they had to stick to their standards "to employ reliable contractors." But a report obtained after The Dispatch filed a public-records request places blame on that plumber for as much as $200,000 in damage to Huntington Park. W.G. Tomko Inc., of Pennsylvania, was working without permission and without supervision in the affected section of the stadium, according to a memo Turner Construction sent commissioners Thursday. Turner said Tomko also failed to use proper shoring when it cut a trench and undermined a support column holding up 27 tons of steel and concrete on the stadium's west end. The support column sank 1 foot, causing beams to sag and cracking a concrete second-story floor for the clubhouse offices. Full story at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/07/02/TOMKOFOUL.ART_ART_07-02-08_B1_7HAL0JK.html?sid=101
July 21, 200816 yr Ballpark pitches naming rights to smaller projects Sunday, July 20, 2008 - 3:14 AM By Barbara Carmen THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH So far, the team has raised $42.5 million by selling major sponsorships to big companies; they go for at least $3.5 million apiece, payable over 20 years. Now, the team is ready to sell the next tier of naming rights, starting at $25,000 a year. The Clippers are setting records for stadium sponsorships throughout minor-league baseball, said Randy Mobley, president of the International League. In addition to the $42.5 million raised by the first round of sponsorships, the county will pay for the stadium with a $7 million grant from Ohio taxpayers and $3.3 million from the sale of Cooper Stadium, the team's current home. The second-tier sponsorships will help cover the remaining construction expenses and such niceties as statues and upkeep. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/07/20/buyme.ART_ART_07-20-08_B4_NFAQ2G8.html?sid=101
August 10, 200816 yr Bob Hunter commentary: Ballpark's charms are already apparent Sunday, August 10, 2008 3:45 AM By Bob Hunter Ken Schnacke wasn't more than 10 feet past the chain-link fence that guards the construction site at Huntington Park when he turned to the visitor and grinned. "This is so cool," he said. That is definitely one word to describe the new ballpark that is rising from a dusty, Downtown weed patch at Nationwide Blvd. and Neil Ave., a place that used to look like a good place to forage for old scrap metal or to dump worn out tires. When we reached the home run terrace in right field a few minutes later, the Columbus Clippers general manager uttered a phrase to himself that seemed almost reflexive. "This is fabulous." Full story at http://dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2008/08/10/hunter10.ART_ART_08-10-08_C1_GRAVQQM.html?sid=101
August 13, 200816 yr Daktronics nabs $2M contract for Huntington Park scoreboard Business First of Columbus Tuesday, August 12, 2008 - 2:10 PM EDT South Dakota-based Daktronics Inc. has landed a $1.94 million contract to design and install the scoreboard at Huntington Park in the Arena District. The scoreboard is expected to be installed by the end of January, said Will Ellerbruch, a regional sales manager for Daktronics. It will be located in right center field at the baseball park, which is scheduled to open next spring. Daktronics controls about 80 percent of the U.S. scoreboard market, Ellerbruch said. Its boards are in a number of Major League Baseball parks, including Progressive Field in Cleveland and Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, as well as in National Football League stadiums in those cities and Pittsburgh. Full story at http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/08/11/daily14.html?f=et58&ana=e_du
August 16, 200816 yr Huntington Park work in the middle innings Business First of Columbus - by Jeff Bell Friday, August 15, 2008 Two big pieces of the construction puzzle at Huntington Park are being put in place as contractors hustle to make sure the baseball stadium opens on time next April. Grading and drainage work has started on the playing field, and the Franklin County commissioners Aug. 12 awarded Daktronics Inc. a $1.9 million scoreboard contract for the county-owned ballpark. That was the last of 25 construction contracts for the project, which is running on schedule and under budget, said Franklin County Administrator Don Brown. The only remaining contracts to be awarded, he said, are for furniture and office equipment. Huntington Park is starting to look like a baseball stadium, and that’s going to continue as work begins on the field such as grading, drainage and installing sod. The new home for the Clippers is expected to open in April. Full story at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/08/18/story5.html?ana=e_ph
August 27, 200816 yr Huntington Park work in the middle innings Business First of Columbus - by Jeff Bell Friday, August 15, 2008 | Modified: Thursday, August 21, 2008 Franklin County Administrator Don Brown said the Huntington Park project is running $1.3 million under budget. Design and construction of the ballpark is expected to cost just under $50 million, with revenue from corporate sponsorships and stadium operations to cover the cost. The county also paid $15.4 million to acquire the Arena District site, and the city is contributing $11 million in infrastructure improvements in the neighborhood. Sponsorship and corporate-suite commitments for the ballpark project are approaching $45 million with several additional deals in the works, said Clippers General Manager Ken Schnacke. Season-ticket sales and leases of corporate suites are plowing ahead. Season ticket holders have bought about 80 percent of the box seats that are available for next season and 60 percent of club seats, Schnacke said. The ballpark will have seating for 8,800 fans and standing-room areas for 1,200. http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/08/18/story5.html?b=1219032000^1685241
September 22, 200816 yr Clippers, Indians thinking long term Saturday, September 20, 2008 By Jim Massie, The Columbus Dispatch Against the rattling backdrop of the construction noise within the rising Huntington Park, the Clippers and Cleveland Indians signed a triple-A working agreement yesterday that will tie the two teams together through the 2012 season. Not included in the dust or the paperwork is the intention by both parties to maintain the association far deeper into the future. "We can only sign for four years," Clippers general manager Ken Schnacke said. "We would have signed for 40. Really, this will go on long after I'm gone, unless I work until I'm 85." Indians president Paul Dolan also expressed the intention for his team to work with the Clippers beyond the 28 seasons that the New York Yankees stayed in Columbus. Read more at http://dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2008/09/20/clippers20.ART_ART_09-20-08_C1_P4BCKI3.html?sid=101
September 22, 200816 yr Columbus move is market driven Published on Saturday, Sep 20, 2008 By Sheldon Ocker, OHIO.COM CLEVELAND: Why are the Indians moving their Triple-A team from western New York to Columbus? It has nothing to do with baseball. The facilities at Dunn Tire Park in downtown Buffalo are among the best in all of minor-league baseball, and ownership and management of the franchise treated Tribe players and staffers well. Columbus, however, is about a half-hour closer to Cleveland than is Buffalo by car, and the Clippers will open a new stadium, Huntington Park, next season. Moving to Columbus was an offer the Indians couldn't refuse because of the marketing and sales possibilities. Ohio's capital city is a fringe outpost for Tribe fans. Now that Central Ohio fans can watch Indians Triple-A players on the way up, interest in the major-league club is bound to increase. ''This will give us a real presence in a good market,'' said Dennis Lehman, executive vice president for business. ''Columbus is a growth market for us.'' Read more at http://www.ohio.com/sports/indians/28685459.html
September 22, 200816 yr How much do you wanna bet that the Dispatch, which barely covers baseball at all, much less the Clippers, will splash minor-league baseball all over the sports section next year?
October 26, 200816 yr How much do you wanna bet that the Dispatch, which barely covers baseball at all, much less the Clippers, will splash minor-league baseball all over the sports section next year? I wouldn't take that bet!
October 26, 200816 yr Huntington Park takes shape with laying of sod Thursday, October 23, 2008 By Jim Massie THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Workers rolled out the first of the 90,000 square feet of Kentucky bluegrass that will cover the infield and outfield portions of the new home for the Columbus Clippers next season. The sod arrived on trucks from a turf farm in Tuckahoe, N.J., in 1,500-pound, 30-foot-long rolls in the early morning. Eugene Mayer, a consultant to the Clippers for field installation and maintenance, lifted the edge of one strip to show the root system. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2008/10/23/clippers_turf.ART_ART_10-23-08_C2_E7BMA41.html?sid=101
December 8, 200816 yr Great new aerial photo of Huntington Park from the Columbus Clippers website...
December 9, 200816 yr I thought that area was a little more dense. They really need to do something with that parking area between the arena and the ball park. That is my biggest pet-peeve of the area.
December 9, 200816 yr The Arena District absolutely blows my mind. When I originally moved to Columbus there was nothing in that area... and it's incredible what Nationwide and the city have done there. This new ballpark is just icing on the cake. Hopefully this will help push the Buggyworks and adjacent Barker Block forwards as well. The possibilities are endless.
December 10, 200816 yr ^ That would be neat, but I think Columbus would be better off with low-rise infill simply because Downtown is so large.
December 10, 200816 yr ^ That would be neat, but I think Columbus would be better off with low-rise infill simply because Downtown is so large. Agree 100% Who cares what the city looks like from miles away... it's all about the street level!
December 10, 200816 yr They really need to do something with that parking area between the arena and the ball park. I remember reading somewhere that those two surface lots would eventually be built on as the district continues to grow. The main priority now is getting the surface lots along Vine St. on the north side of the arena developed (which I think is a much larger eyesore than the surface lots in between the arena and the stadium). Supposedly, appartments and a Giant Eagle will go up there. I want a new skyscraper!!! ^ That would be neat, but I think Columbus would be better off with low-rise infill simply because Downtown is so large. I want both. We seem to be doing well with getting low-rise infill built (new courthouse, Lifestyle Communities, the Gay St. corridor), but a new shimmering skyscraper I think would not only add to our skyline but breathe new life into the heart of downtown by showing in a very obvious way that downtown investment and development is not dead. I still think a 25-30 story tower on the site of the proposed Capitol Tower housing the Dispatch family of companies would be perfect.
December 10, 200816 yr We seem to be doing well with getting low-rise infill built (new courthouse, Lifestyle Communities, the Gay St. corridor), but a new shimmering skyscraper I think would not only add to our skyline but breathe new life into the heart of downtown by showing in a very obvious way that downtown investment and development is not dead. I still think a 25-30 story tower on the site of the proposed Capitol Tower housing the Dispatch family of companies would be perfect. I completely agree with you.
December 18, 200816 yr http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/12/15/daily28.html Thursday, December 18, 2008, 3:13pm EST Big Ten baseball tournament to make Huntington Park debut Business First of Columbus The Big Ten Conference will bring its baseball tournament to Columbus’ new Huntington Park next spring. The six-team event will be played at the 10,000-seat ballpark in the Arena District May 20-23, the conference said Thursday. It will mark the first time since 1994 that the Big Ten tournament has been played at a neutral site when it was held in Battle Creek, Mich. Since then it has been hosted by the regular-season Big Ten champion, including the University of Michigan the past three years and Ohio State University in 2001. The tournament will be the first special event at Huntington Park, the new home of the minor league Columbus Clippers. The Clippers are scheduled to play their first game there April 18, moving from 76-year-old Cooper Stadium on the city’s west side. The Big Ten deal was brokered by the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, Clippers and Ohio State.
December 18, 200816 yr We seem to be doing well with getting low-rise infill built (new courthouse, Lifestyle Communities, the Gay St. corridor), but a new shimmering skyscraper I think would not only add to our skyline but breathe new life into the heart of downtown by showing in a very obvious way that downtown investment and development is not dead. I still think a 25-30 story tower on the site of the proposed Capitol Tower housing the Dispatch family of companies would be perfect. I disagree. I would be happy if they eliminated most of the surface lots downtown and replaced them with entire blocks of low rise development like what we're seeing on Gay St. That would increase the number of pedestrians and promote nightlife far more than a skyscraper would in my humble opinion.
December 20, 200816 yr http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/12/15/daily28.html Thursday, December 18, 2008, 3:13pm EST Big Ten baseball tournament to make Huntington Park debut This an awesome idea! The only way to improve it would be to make Huntington Park the permanent location for the Big Ten baseball tournament.
February 9, 200916 yr Huntington Park ice-filled, but still club's field of dreams Business First of Columbus - by Jeff Bell Friday, February 6, 2009 It is 18 degrees and a sharp morning wind is blowing from the north as a construction crew looks over masonry work being completed at an entrance to Huntington Park. It's the kind of bone-chilling work that has been going on every day at the stadium during a winter of sub-zero temperatures, rain, sleet and snow. And it is one of the reasons the new home of the Columbus Clippers baseball team remains on track for the club's home opener April 18 against the Toledo Mud Hens. "We're comfortably on schedule," said Clippers General Manager Ken Schnacke. "We will open on time." Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2009/02/09/story1.html
February 10, 200916 yr Great new aerial photo of Huntington Park from the Columbus Clippers website... What's that going on in the bottom left of this picture? And, yeah, Huntington Park is going to be awesome for the Clippers, kids and the whole district... Really cool park - I wish it was open when I was going to Clipper's games as a kid
February 10, 200916 yr I almost took a job right across the street at an ad agency, it would have been such a cool place to work/live.
February 11, 200916 yr I almost took a job right across the street at an ad agency, it would have been such a cool place to work/live. Why didn't you? That is an awesome place to work!
February 15, 200916 yr Some construction photos I took on Feb 1: <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/huntpark1.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/huntpark2.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/huntpark3.jpg"> <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/huntpark4.jpg">
February 18, 200916 yr I must say, the street-level design of the park leaves a lot to be desired. As it stands now, it has a lot of industrial park/parking-garage flavor going on. The guts look great though, and that's what counts.
March 16, 200916 yr What's that going on in the bottom left of this picture? That is some leftover railroad property. It's a triangular lot that is between three active rail lines. You can't tell from the aerial, but the only vehicular access is next to the railroad bridge that goes over Nationwide Blvd. at the bottom middle of the picture. During all the infrastructure work for the Arena District, and now the Ballpark, this area was used as a construction staging/material storage area. It looks far worse from the air then from the ground. The elevated railroad tracks effectively shield it from the surrounding properties.
March 16, 200916 yr $39.6 million in naming rights Huntington Park a hit for sponsors Sunday, March 15, 2009 By Barbara Carmen THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Huntington Park won't open for five weeks, but it's almost a sellout -- for sponsorships. The ballpark's board has nailed down $39.6 million in corporate money for naming rights and is negotiating deals worth an additional $9 million. The new ballpark in the Arena District, to open April 18, had promised to raise $37 million from private sponsors. The economy has made sales of sponsorships challenging. He's still negotiating smaller contracts for naming rights he'd hoped to have signed by now. Instead of 20-year pledges, the sales team scaled back deals to three years to 10 years to cut the price. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/03/15/ballparknaming.ART_ART_03-15-09_B1_AOD83RE.html?sid=101
March 19, 200916 yr New baseball stadium is a hit with county officials Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 3:26 AM By Barbara Carmen, The Columbus Dispatch The wind was gentle, the sun was warm, and the sky was a perfect blue. Franklin County Commissioners Paula Brooks, Marilyn Brown and John O'Grady lapped up the praise as they led the first official tour inside the new $70 million ballpark. The stadium, set to open April 18 in the Arena District, is finished except for a few final touches: Food concessions need to tote in the hot dogs, the Clippers have yet to clutter their new locker room, and the place needs a good dusting. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/03/19/huntingtonpark19.ART_ART_03-19-09_B5_3VD9KMU.html?sid=101
March 19, 200916 yr Perfect weather, one month early It was a beautiful day for baseball, but no teams were on hand yesterday at Huntington Park in the Arena District. Instead, Ken Schnacke, Clippers president and general manager, center, took county officials on a tour of the new park. The home opener against Toledo is April 18.
March 20, 200916 yr What a beautiful view looking into downtown! Magnificent. Yeah...at a minor league baseball stadium. Yawn.
March 20, 200916 yr What a beautiful view looking into downtown! Magnificent. How dare the AEP building shoulder the LeVeque Tower out of the view like that.
March 20, 200916 yr I must say, the street-level design of the park leaves a lot to be desired. As it stands now, it has a lot of industrial park/parking-garage flavor going on. The guts look great though, and that's what counts. Even a lot of the older baseball stadiums don't have a ton of street-level character aside from the entry gates except perhaps Fenway. I know Wrigley doesn't and old Tiger Stadium certainly didn't. Eh, maybe not. But damn, what a park that was... Rest in pieces, Tiger Stadium.
March 21, 200916 yr Yeah...at a minor league baseball stadium. Yawn. Plenty of people seem to enjoy watching college teenagers play sports. Why not minor league baseball?
March 21, 200916 yr Yeah...at a minor league baseball stadium. Yawn. Plenty of people seem to enjoy watching college teenagers play sports. Why not minor league baseball? Sorry for being a debbie downer. I just don't dig minor league baseball at all lol. I know it's a great budget-friendly experience though. I'll probably end up taking my nephew when he's a little older. The park itself is really nice. The transformation of the arena district in general is incredible. The synergy of everything that's around should make it much more successful than Cooper stadium which borders a graveyard, razed projects and the bottoms. You could literally have an entire day full of fun stuff to do in that immediate area before/after going to the ballpark or arena. In a way, it's already accomplished what Cincinnati is trying to do with the Banks project.
March 25, 200916 yr I must say, the street-level design of the park leaves a lot to be desired. As it stands now, it has a lot of industrial park/parking-garage flavor going on. The guts look great though, and that's what counts. Based on the previous images, I can see your point. But I think Huntington Park is really coming together. First a photo from today's Dispatch. This shows the view from the Nationwide Boulevard sidewalk looking though the right field fence. Pretty nice street level view eh? For a little context, here is Walker's earlier Nationwide Boulevard view of the same area. Those square openings at the bottom are where the above photo was taken from.
March 25, 200916 yr Neat. I hope they leave those openings open; I could easily imagine the being blocked by a beer banner of the back of a vendor's stall.
March 25, 200916 yr Neat. I hope they leave those openings open; I could easily imagine the being blocked by a beer banner of the back of a vendor's stall. That would not be cool!
March 25, 200916 yr I'm banking on cool. I'll be attending quite a few games. This is a huge move for The Clippers. I hope it doesn't sap the wind from the sails of our MLS Cup Champion Columbus Crew.
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