Target Field taxes help build Bloomington grandstand

When Bloomington's Metropolitan Stadium closed in 1981, many residents thought that was the end of outdoor baseball in Minnesota and also of their community's connection to major league sports.

Now, in the shadow of the former Met Stadium, a new grandstand has risen, built in part with monies provided by the new home of the Minnesota Twins: Target Field.

In an ironic twist of fate, as open-air baseball returns April 12th with the Minnesota Twins home opener, the sales tax levied to build Target Field is helping build a space for sports  in Bloomington.

In 2006, the Hennepin County Board voted to levy a 0.15% sales tax within the county to fund most of the cost for Target Field. Within that levy, money was put aside to support youth athletics and expand library hours. The youth athletic portion is titled Hennepin Youth Sports Program Grant.

Some 38 projects within the county applied for funding  to build, repair, renovate or expand current sports facilities. After reviewing recommendations from the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission, the board gave the green light to 18 projects totaling $2.47 million. Bloomington's Red Haddox Baseball Field Improvement Project ended up in the very first funding round and was one of the top money-getters with an allotment of $235,488.

"We are very excited to be on the first go-around of their grant cycle," said Greg Boatman, Bloomington's Assistant Parks and Recreation Manager and project  supervisor. "Reinvestment in our community is so important."

The project includes a grandstand with 500 seats, a press box, new dug-outs, a new backstop, and a 40-foot net to catch stray baseballs. The old Met Stadium was located in the eastern part of Bloomington, where the Mall of America currently stands. Valley View Field, home to Red Haddox Baseball Field, is also in the eastern section at 90th  Street and Portland Avenue.  

Boatman said the City of Bloomington had planned improvements to Red Haddox Field for several years. Faced with a projected cost of $588,720 for renovations to the baseball bleachers, the city sought creative ways to come up with the money.

The seven-acre Beaverbrook Field near Bush Lake Road was scheduled to be taken in the I-494 expansion. The land included athletic playing fields, bleachers, fencing and parking lot. "[Interstate]494 needed to be expanded on the northwest corner of Bloomington and the Minnesota Department of Transportation needed land. MnDOT pays cities money if they take park land," Boatman explained. "We never want to lose a park, it's one of the main reasons people live here."

MnDOT paid Bloomington more than million dollars in mitigation compensation for Beaverbrook Field, said Boatman. "At the time, the city was going to use the money from the mitigation to enhance youth athletics in Bloomington. We first explored replacing Beaverbrook Field, but land in Bloomington is a premium. We were facing not only replacing the land, but the amenities that go with it like backstops. So we made a decision to enhance what we already have."

Bloomington used Beaverbrook Field mitigation money to improve some of their existing parks such as western Bloomington's Dred Scott Field, the east side's Smith Park, and a little bit at the Valley View Park location. In addition, the city decided to sink $438,000 into the Red Haddox Field bleachers development.

Bloomington was proceeding with the project when word got around about the Hennepin Youth Sports Program Grant. "We got designers calling us asking if we had any projects that we needed done," said Boatman. "We read about the grant in the newspapers and the City Council members knew about it." (Bloomington originally applied for $350,000).

After receiving $235,488 from the Youth Sports Grant, city officials then only needed $203,000 from the Beaverbrook Field fund for their Red Haddox bleacher upgrade. The remaining balance was put back into the mitigation fund to be used for future, as yet unnamed, youth athletic field improvements, according to Boatman.

Hennepin County Commissioner Randy Johnson, whose Fifth District serves the city of Bloomington, said voting on the county tax levy to help pay for the new stadium was difficult for him. "It was a tough vote for me, I was the deciding vote. I got a lot of static for my decision."

But Johnson now supports of the use of levy taxes to help keep the county libraries open, in addition to the Youth Athletics Grant.  "There were two parts to that bill, but very little public attention has gone to the Youth Sports Grant," he said.

Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson, representing the county's northwestern  Seventh District, has criticized the Youth Sports Grant for favoring the city of Minneapolis and first-ring suburbs such as Bloomington and Richfield on his blog Hennepin County Taxpayer Watch Dog.

"I was in the House [of Representatives] at the time and I voted against the stadium. It's not a role for government to be in," Johnson said. "The state law requires a referendum on those kinds of expenses, but the legislature granted the expense anyway. Now that it's passed, I'm pleased with the Youth Sports Program Grant. I will play a role with the northwest suburbs as the folks that live there pay the taxes, too."

Johnson feels the Amateur Sports Commission was fair in deciding who gets the Youth Sports Program grant money. "There is a preference to Minneapolis and inner-ring suburbs, but I was pleased with the folks up in Blaine. They did a good job."

First District Hennepin County Commissioner Mike Opat, also the board chair, said the board is thrilled with the results of the Youth Sports Grant. "Bloomington was a recipient in the first round. We wanted projects that were being constructed this year. We are focusing on capital improvements, as you can always see what has been done. Capital projects last longer and are something tangible."

Opat said they didn't want general projects that wouldn't be used much and did want projects that offered some year-round aspects. Also important was the cooperation of city, schools, and sports agencies. "We wanted them to all be talking. We wanted to force some kind of marriage. Some applicants didn't receive the grant because they couldn't demonstrate that. We wanted them to tell us what is going to happen. We didn't want projects that weren't going to be used much, like just a high school varsity team uses it."

Opat had a hand in writing the language for the grants and he used to be a youth coach, "I know how it is, and I wanted a cross-pollination [of agencies]," he said.

Bloomington's Red Haddox Field improvement was short $150,000 after the Youth Sports Grant and the Beaverbrook mitigation monies, so they turned to the community for help. Fundraising efforts were previously underway, spearheaded by resident and baseball enthusiast Red Haddox. "Red died during the process. He had a vision of this project for years. We wanted to keep this alive," Boatman said.

Other sports organizations became involved, including Bloomington Legion Baseball Concession, Inc. and Legion Blue and Gold Baseball from Kennedy and Jefferson high schools. "They really stepped up to the plate and hit it out of the park," said Boatman on the group's ability to secure money. "It was really a team effort."

The Riverview League Bloomington Bandits Baseball team will use the facility for games, as well as the two local high schools, city youth leagues, Bloomington recreation programs, and private leagues that request the field.

Residents Ron Nenovich, Jerry Olerude, and Dan Wallerus managed to get a $100,000 donation from the Toro Corporation and named the new grandstand after the Bloomington-based company. "The [Red Haddox] bleachers were a long-time a-brewing," said Nenovich. "Toro liked what they saw and thought it would be a good thing to help. They used to have a baseball field named after them that no longer exists. People will go by the park and into the park and see the Toro name."

Toro Corporation spokesperson John Wright said his company provided the donation two years ago and gives away two percent of their after-tax U.S. profits to charities. The grandstand project appealed to them as they are located in Bloomington and wanted to partner with the city.

In addition, Toro is a part of the new Target Field. "Real turf is a growing business," said Wright. The compay installed the sensors under the grass at Target Field to let groundskeeper Larry DiVito know when to water. Toro put in the irrigation system and provide the mowers at the Twins Stadium.

A dedication for the Red Haddox Toro Stadium is planned for Saturday, June 19 and an open house in May. Nenovich says plans are in the works for a second phase of the project, which will include restrooms, concessions, scoreboard, and a plaza. Currently port-a-potties are used at the Toro Stadium and the scoreboard is hard to see. Nenovich, who is semi-retired, is at the project site every day. "I am hoping the City [of Bloomington] has the vision to complete this," he said.

Boatman estimated the cost for the second phase at almost $800,000. Fundraising efforts include the selling of paver bricks with names etched on them and bleacher seats with names. "We have to balance finishing this with all the other park needs in Bloomington," he said.

The top three recipients of the first cycle of the Hennepin County Youth Sports Grant for renovations were Richfield, Bloomington, and Brooklyn Park.

"Legislation allows Hennepin County to spend $2 million per year on youth sports through the life of the bonds," wrote Johnson on his blog. "My preference would be to dedicate that $2 million each year to retire ballpark debt and eliminate the ballpark tax three years early, but that is clearly not going to happen, so I will focus instead on distributing the $2 million per year as fairly as possible."

(Above) Greg Boatman, Assistant Manager of Parks and Rec for the City of Bloomington, relaxes in the new Toro Grandstand paid for in part by the Youth Sports Program Grant. "This is very exciting for us," he said.

(Above) A new Press Box is included in the Bloomington's grandstand renovations paid for in part by the Youth Sports Grant. "Just call the city for a press pass," said Greg Boatman, Assistant Manager of Parks and Rec.

(Above) New dug-outs were constructed at Bloomington's Red Haddox Toro Stadium with partial funds from the Youth Sports Grant.

Barb Teed

Barb Teed (barbteed@tcdailyplanet.net) has a Bachelor's degree in Media Studies from New School University, NYC and is enrolled in a graduate program at Hamline University in St. Paul.