Board of Works agrees to pay $850K to support expansion at Four Winds Field

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - The South Bend Board of Works is ready to get to work expanding Four Winds Field.

On Tuesday, the panel awarded an $849,525 contract for engineering services needed to add an upper deck to the stadium.

5,000 seats is currently “company” at Four Winds Field — capacity-wise. Anything more is a “crowd.”

“We had over 8,000 people here on the Fourth of July,” said Joe Hart with the South Bend Cubs. “There were a lot of people that wanted to come. Unfortunately, they didn’t want to sit in the lawn seats, so some people ended up leaving. So, to have the ability to put more people in here, it’s going to be a great experience.”

The current plan calls for adding an upper deck without about 2,500 additional seats, along with new concession areas and bathrooms.

“So, the plan is to increase the seating by 50%,” explained South Bend Public Works Director Eric Horvath. “We really are in the preliminary stages here, planning all this out and trying to make sure that the plans fit within the budget we have, and so we’ll know further after this is developed here, this preliminary engineering study that we’ve got just approved today.”

The hiring of an architect on Tuesday (Jones Petrie Rafinski) signals the start of a process reconciling stadium improvement dreams with realities.

“Obviously, kind of awarding the contract for the architects to move forward is just, it’s an exciting thin,” Hart said. “I think you know we’ve done a lot of things with Four Winds Field since Andrew bought the ball club at the end of the 2011 season, but this gives us the opportunity to enhance it even more. Our fans deserve it.”

The current season attendance record is 354,000. With an upper deck, Hart feels the team could draw around 450,000.

In addition to attracting baseball fans, the facility is earning a reputation as an anchor on the south side of the downtown that attracts other private development. There are currently three apartment projects in the works that will add nearly 200 new units.

“What you’re seeing is that people are recognizing that an area of town that was, you know, needing some upgrades is really starting to come on fire and that you’re starting to see a lot of people invest in the south side of downtown,” Horvath explained.

The state of Indiana has essentially agreed to pay for the stadium improvement work by providing up to $5 million per year through a Professional Sports Development District.