Principal Park Phase 1 Improvements

Des Moines, Iowa Principal Park seeks Council OK for revamping Changes could be key to club staying in Triple-A Tommy Birch Des Moines Register USA TODAY NETWORK Principal Park, the third oldest Triple-A baseball stadium, could be getting a major league makeover. The Des Moines Parks and Recreation Department will present a plan to the Des Moines City Council on Monday of renovations to the home of the Iowa Cubs. Some of the changes are vital to the future of the club and its ability to stay a Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Jenny Richmond, the assistant parks and recreation director, said other parts of the master preliminary plan include a playground area, suites and a large video screen outside the park. "Everything right now is pending City Council approval (of) funding," Richmond said. The first phase of the project is aimed at getting the park in compliance with MLB's new stadium standards. The standards were outlined in the new Professional Development License the Iowa Cubs signed with the Chicago Cubs in January to remain an affiliate of the team. See PRINCIPAL PARK, Principal Park Continued from Every minor league team that signed one agreed to a certain set of requirements that included upgrades to stadiums. If teams are not in compliance, they could lose their affiliation agreements with big league teams. Goal: Being the best in the game Iowa Cubs president/general manager Sam Bernabe said fans won't notice most of the adjustments for the park, which opened in 1992. They include more space in the clubhouse and accommodations for more coaches, including female staff members. Bernabe said secure player parking for team members to get in and out of the park is also being added. The biggest change fans may see is the adjustment to the centre field wall to keep the Capital Building out of the batters' eyes. Hitters have complained that the glare of the golden dome impairs their ability to pick up the ball from the pitcher on its way to the plate. But even that change might be minimal -- a consultant determined a massive overhaul wouldn't be needed, Richmond said. Getting up to compliance isn't the only goal, though. "We don't want to be just compliant and make Major League Baseball happy. We want to be the best player development facility in the game," Bernabe said. "So, that's what the city and our challenge is to get done." That's the focus on the other phases of the project and the park, which is owned by the city. Bernabe believes once the park is up to compliance, officials can turn their attention to other parts of the project, which could make the stadium an even more desirable at-traction to fans. The Iowa Cubs are the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs and many of the team's biggest stars over the years have made stops in Des Moines. "That's what the city challenged the architectural firm (DLR Group, Inc.) to come up with -- a long-term master plan is what we need to do, give us some imagination as to how ballparks today look and how does Principal Park need to change and conform to being a down-town stadium," Bernabe said. Richmond said those improvements include new suites, a playground with water play area and a video screen on the outside of the stadium where fans could watch away games or the Chicago Cubs playing in the postseason. The video board is "one of the pieces that really stands out," Richmond said. For now, the immediate need is on the first phase and keeping MLB and the Chicago Cubs happy. Richmond said once they complete the first phase of the project, they can turn attention to the other parts and begin strategizing on how to make it all happen. But it may take time and some help with outside donors and possibly some grants. When it's all said and done, it may take upward of 20 years to complete. Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. The City's Overall Annual DBE/TSB Goal for this project is 6.03%

2,100 SF.

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