Cheney Stadium Reopening April 14 After Six-Month Renovation

Tacoma, WA – Mortenson Construction handed over the keys to Cheney Stadium two weeks early in preparation for the Tacoma Rainiers’ opening game against the Sacramento River Cats on Friday, April 15. The design-build team, led by Mortenson Construction, included Belay Architecture of Tacoma, Wash., and Populous, a sports architecture firm based in Kansas City and formerly known as HOK Sport.

The $23 million fast-tracked project took only 210 days to complete, from the Rainiers' final home game Sept. 2, 2010 to substantial completion on April 1.

The new ballpark includes 16 luxury suites, a 4,000-square-foot club and restaurant, new administrative team offices, a new right field seating berm, left field improvements and a new outfield fence. There are now twice as many restrooms, increased concessions and ADA seating, and an improved public concourse along with a new press facility and a new team clubhouse.  Additions were constructed using local materials intended to reflect Tacoma and the Pacific Northwest. Parts of the original stadium remain including the original concrete seating bowl, group express canopies and a renovated visitor locker room. The existing field was protected during construction and is ready for play.

Renovations were designed to reduce environmental impact by minimizing energy consumption through upgraded lighting distribution systems, electrical utility services, and programmable low voltage relay panels. Also helping increase energy efficiency is a variable refrigerant flow system that will simultaneously transfer heating and cooling to needed areas. Through extensive demolition and construction planning, over 97percent of waste was diverted from landfills.