Baseball team owner planning stadium expansion

By the associated press

SOUTH BEND – The owner of the South Bend minor league baseball team is working on major expansion and modernization plans for the city’s 33-year-old stadium.

South Bend Cubs owner Andrew Berlin said he plans to add an upper deck above the current seating area at Four Winds Field, along with a new instrument panel and improved lighting.

Berlin said it was not yet sure how much the project would increase the stadium’s current capacity by around 5,000 fans or how much it would cost, as it is still meeting architects.

Berlin spoke on Thursday at an event marking the 10th anniversary since buying the team from a group of investors led by the former Indiana Governor Joe Kernan, who passed away last year.

Work on the stadium project would likely begin after the 2023 season, Berlin said. The expansion comes as he said the team have sold most of their games in recent seasons.

“We are reaching capacity in a number of games and the ones we are not reaching full capacity for are usually the colder games from April maybe early May,” Berlin said. “But when school is out, we fill up and more people want to watch these games than we have seats. It is our intention to respond to this request.

Berlin will ask city officials to help fund the project with money the city recovers from sales and income taxes generated by the stadium and other entertainment venues to pay for capital improvements.

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