Artist Rendition of Target Field Improvements

The “best stadium experience” is about to get better. According to ESPN – The Magazine, Target Field ranked #1 in terms that category during its inaugural season. Fortunately, for the fans, the Twins don’t plan on resting on their laurels. The biggest addition will be a second video scoreboard that will be positioned in right field above the grandstand, allowing fans sitting in left field and in front of the main center-field scoreboard to see replays and other content shown on the screen. The scoreboard will measure 28 feet high by 50 feet wide and will be built by South Dakota-based Daktronics. It will be roughly a quarter of the size of the main video board, which measures 57 feet by 101 feet, but still THREE TIMES than the one in Metrodome.

Next to new video board will be a Twins Tower, a 100-foot-tall LED-illuminated tower that can be lit up in a variety of ways. The tower is capable of using video, but due to its vertical nature will lend itself best to uses such as scores and other displays. “I think the object of the tower was to create a terminus at the end of Target Plaza that would draw people further into the space and have the ability to be a landmark on the cityscape of Minneapolis,” said architect Tom Oslund of Oslund and Associates.

To combat cooler temperatures during early- and late-season games, additional radiant heat will be expanded to outfield areas, the Terrace Level and the home run porch for next season. The Twins said the heat wasn’t used as much as initially anticipated during the 2010 season due to mild temperatures. Both the video board and tower are scheduled for completion by mid-March of 2011. Twins officials estimated the cost of all the additions to be between $4-6 million, all of which will be funded by the club.