A piece from Bill Chastain of MLB.com about the Rays potential new stadium
ST. PETERSBURG — When, and if, the Rays get a new stadium, that stadium should have a retractable roof.
According to a report in St. Petersburg Times’ online edition, tampabay.com, the group studying stadium options for the Rays — a task force called A Baseball Community — said Thursday that any new ballpark should have a retractable roof.
“We need to have a fully air-conditioned interior,” Alan Bomstein of the community task force told the Times.
While the recommendation could change, the group’s chairman, Jeff Lyash, believes such a stadium is necessary to combat St. Petersburg’s treacherous summer humidity.
According to the Times, the task force believes a new stadium should be built for 37,000 people and have the capability to be incorporated into future light rail or mass transit projects.
“[The ballpark] should be the first of the next generation of stadium design,” said Bomstein in the Times’ report.
The group hopes to have final recommendations for local government leaders by early 2010 at the latest.
The Rays released the following statement addressing Thursday’s comments from the task force:
“We appreciate all of the hard work of the ABC Coalition. It is a great deal of information to digest, and we look forward to reviewing it and discussing it with the coalition and the Tampa Bay community.”
Bill Chastain is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Thomas Gemkow is the editor-in-chief of TampaBayRaysFan.com. Founded in January of 2009, TampaBayRaysFan.com is a compilation of all the best of the Rays, from across the web. The website can be followed on Twitter
