$4.3 Million Lugnuts Renovation Open for Business

It’s April, so it must be baseball season. This year, Lugnuts fans will reap the benefits of a $4.3 million Oldsmobile Park renovation that includes a new bar and clubhouse.

According to excerpts from the article:

The Clubhouse bar appears poised to attract with a top-shelf view, leather seats and etched glass. It's the newest jewel in aseries of $4.3 million worth of renovations begun in 2005. Fans are certain to notice the club along with decorative ironwork fencing, lighting upgrades and more.

"It sounds great," said RG Ball Park Dogs & More Owner Rudy Gelista as he considered the Clubhouse's AC, flat-screen TVs and prime rib sandwiches. "I want to go right now."

And as an average fan, he can buy himself a special $17.50 ticket Monday night for a piece of the exclusivity and poshness of it all.

"That in my opinion is the coolest thing about that venue," said Lugnuts General Manager Patrick Day, "that an average Joe off the street can access it."

This latest round of renovations has its roots in 2004 when a $40,000 audit paid for by the city and the team's owner outlined millions of dollars in repairs and renovations needed at Oldsmobile Park. The stadium wasn't quite a decade old.

As plans progressed, though, officials decided not just to make repairs but to draw new fans to the 10,000-seat park.

Baseball is entertainment, and in the entertainment business, there is a lot of competition, particularly in the summer with community festivals, concerts and many restaurants offering outdoor dining.

"Most people aren't going to the ballpark anymore and just saying they want a hot dog," said Eric Hart, the man in charge of the Lansing Entertainment & Public Facilities Authority. He's the city's lead official at the Lansing-owned park.

So on Monday, just as fans will have options beyond the Coney dog, they will be able to pick from more than general, reserved and suite seating. They now will have The Clubhouse.

Read the entire article here.