Here's one not in favor

Gary Bond, the Whitecap beat writer at The Grand Rapids Press, chimes in on the Whitecap downtown stadium idea.

Whitecaps shouldn't move to downtown ballpark

OK, let me see if I can't make a little dollars and sense out of John Wheeler's "dream."

Wheeler, a chief executive for Rockford Construction, threw out the idea of building a ballpark in downtown Grand Rapids during his speech at the University of Michigan/Urban Land Institute Forum last week and having the West Michigan Whitecaps move from Fifth Third Ballpark in Comstock Park and play their home games within the Grand Rapids city limits.

It's an idea that could boost the downtown economy if it became a reality. But it shouldn't have been talked about out loud.

The Whitecaps, who have played in their team-owned facility since their first season in 1994, receive 100 percent of all revenue from ticket sales, parking and concessions.

Playing in a city-owned facility means sharing the revenue. Those percentages calculate to smaller pieces of the pie. Playing at Fifth Third Ballpark means the Whitecaps' front office can have their pie and eat it, too.

And, if approved, who would pay for this downtown ballpark?

Don't tell me. I know this one..........Tax something...Tax...Pass! Pass!

There is also a mention of another reason why this downtown ballpark is almost definitely not going to happen.

Whitecaps start stadium makeover

The playing surface at the home of the West Michigan Whitecaps has now been completely removed and is being replaced, the centerpiece of a million-dollar renovation at the stadium.

"This is a 16-year-old facility, a stadium that is in great shape, but we now want to take it to the next 15-to-20 years by doing this work now," said Jim Jarecki, Whitecaps' vice president. "This stadium is a landmark, and in order to keep it that way, you have to re-invest in it. You can't let it deteriorate."

The Whitecaps' renovations began shortly after the varsity high school football game between Forest Hills Northern and Cedar Springs two weeks ago.

The biggest and most costly part of the project is the field. Improvements include putting in a more efficient drainage and irrigation system along with a deeper sand base (from four inches to eight inches), then re-sodding the field.

The field renovations are expected to be completed in two weeks. More than 90 percent of all the renovations are scheduled to be completed before the start of the 2009 season. Estimated cost for all renovations will be between $1 million and $1.5 million.

Page two of that post has a complete list of the improvements. That I will leave to you and your curiosity.