TOareaFan said:
The number was mentioned on prime time sports yesterday as I drove home......with all due respect to Mr. Brunt (Canada's finest sports journalist) they are not spending >$600MM renovating Rogers Centre...not likely even close to that.....but, even if they spent that much....you can't beat that location...so building new is non-starter (just an opinion).
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I don't think he was saying they would be spending it all at once. More like over time. If they ever decide to put in grass, for example, that would cost a lot in upkeep.

As for location, what about CNE?
 
T.E.C.II said:
I don't think he was saying they would be spending it all at once. More like over time. If they ever decide to put in grass, for example, that would cost a lot in upkeep.

As for location, what about CNE?
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Grass in a new stadium would need a lot of upkeep too ;)

There are a lot of locations for stadiums in Toronto.....CNE/Portlands/Food Terminal/Downsview....what they all have in common is that while they are good, they are nowhere near as good as the current location of the Roger's Centre.
 
ChesterCopperpot said:
It can be closed mid-game - however, if the game starts with the roof closed it cannot be opened during the game

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This must be a new rule because I've seen it open mid game many times before. One memorable time was Canada day a year or two ago they opened it during the game and it was a nice atmosphere with the rain clouds making way for sun.
 
Upon opening apparently the roof makes a significant booming noise, at least that is what is indicated in a Globe article last month: Roger's centre renos It sounds to me that they are committed to prolonging the life of the dome for the better part of the next two decades.
 
Bogtrotter said:
Upon opening apparently the roof makes a significant booming noise, at least that is what is indicated in a Globe article last month: Roger's centre renos It sounds to me that they are committed to prolonging the life of the dome for the better part of the next two decades.
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I for one have never heard the alleged "cannon sound", the most noise I have heard is more similar to a creaking noise which I attribute to the metal structure shifting during movement.

Also he got the set up of the roof wrong. The Northern immovable panel always sits below the other 4 panels. Or in other words the movable panels stack above the north panel not below.
 
T.E.C.II said:
Is the Rogers Centre a white elephant if it has proven to draw big crowds? If they build a new stadium, I don't see why fans would balk at going to games.
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It is considering the amount of government funding that went into its($500 Million in 1989) that was sold off due to bankruptcy in 1998 for $80 Million when no one was going and corporations weren't renewing their boxes eventually selling to Rogers for $25 Million in 2005. For many people, not necessarily myself its a reminder of severe government waste and overreach. For me, I just like going to the ball games.
 
JMSRead said:
I've never seen it said that it would be a $100 - 200 million reno. Stephen Brunt said on The Jeff Blair Show last week (on The Fan) that the new reno may cost almost as much as a new stadium. He's usually pretty plugged in.
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In a city like Toronto with the land prices being what they are and so forth building a new stadium would be closer too $1Billion. I highly doubt they would spend anywhere near that amount.
 
Bogtrotter said:
Upon opening apparently the roof makes a significant booming noise, at least that is what is indicated in a Globe article last month: Roger's centre renos It sounds to me that they are committed to prolonging the life of the dome for the better part of the next two decades.
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That sounds like the best plan. Its actually still a really good facility with a lot of life left in it. Would be a shame to throw it away when it just needs some renos.
 
For those who don't want to listen to the interview, absolutely nothing new.

- Location and infrastructure around the Dome means he has no plan to build a new ballpark anywhere else. Focus is on making the stadium feel like a ballpark.
- No final decision made on grass, but an acknowledgement that it will be a very expensive and complex undertaking to make it happen.
 
The only way he can make it feel like a ball park is to stop it from feeling like a monolithic bunker and the only way to do that is to open it up to the city. If he's going to knock out some walls and let in natural light, I'm all very much in favour of that.
 
MetroMan said:
The only way he can make it feel like a ball park is to stop it from feeling like a monolithic bunker and the only way to do that is to open it up to the city. If he's going to knock out some walls and let in natural light, I'm all very much in favour of that.
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There isn't any views of the city to see if they took down a wall at the back or anywhere it's surrounded by buildings on all sides. The back wall is right over the TTR and looks out on nothing. Plus it has the hotel and the video board on it the sides would just give a view of condos in either side. The only real view is of the lake but you can only get one from high up because of condos and the Gardner expresy way being in the way.
 
They could bring the seats into a more familiar triangular enclosure around the ballpark and provide greater space around the outer edges of the stadium with the adjustment of seats closer to the field.
 
If by some miracle of timing, the Renaissance hotel went under or decided to sell its attached building to Rogers, they could demolish the hotel portion, opening the outfield to the city. The fixed dome on the north portion would need to be reclad in a transparent material to allow natural light in. They could deck over the portion of the rail corridor between the bridges and turn it into a park for the general public to watch the game on outdoor screens. The city could expropriate or land swap the lowrise office building north of the stadium to bring the park all the way to Front Street, reconnecting the SkyDome directly to the city.
If these things were to happen, the SkyDome would be on its way to feeling more like a ballpark than a stadium.
Further improvements were as you said, bringing the seating closer to the field in a diamond configuration. Patio areas, standing beer gardens and bleachers in general admission areas and concessions on the outside instead of in the concourses would allow people to watch the game while wandering around the ballpark for food or different views.
The outer walls of the concourse, now freed from concession stands could be open with windows to the exterior, allowing natural light into the concourses and views of the city afforded to those walking about. One final change: remove the ticket booths from around the perimeter of the stadium, opening it up so that people walking by on the outside could catch glimpses of the field and of the sports fans walking about inside the concourse.
 
I'm thinking with such a dramatic revamp your pretty much talking about tearing down and rebuilding a significant portion of the stadium, on top of reconfiguring seats and a new roof, then we're venturing into costs that are approaching a brand new stadium. In which case I'd rather they tear it down, Jays play at Tim Horton's field for a couple of seasons and start anew on the site with a modern design with sweeping views of the city :)
 
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