Video Boards Highlight Fenway Park Renovations
BOSTON (CBS) - If you happen to walking by Fenway Park these days, you'll see construction crews at almost every gate. You can tell there's a lot going on inside. Indeed, it's another hectic off-season that sees teams of workers racing against the clock.
WBZ got a sneak peak at the renovations with Sox CEO Larry Lucchino on Friday.
Lucchino said this spring, fans won't be able to miss the changes.
They start with a huge, new high-definition, LED scoreboard in centerfield -- 100 feet by 38 feet. It replaces the screen that had been there since 1976.
"You know, fans haven't been able to see the infrastructure work, the new wires and pipes and concrete repair, things that will enable to park to survive for generations," explained Lucchino. "But they can see and enjoy from the moment they walk in here this modern development."
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Mark Katic reports
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Two other brand new LED screen will flank that one -- offering real-time pitcher and batter stats, box scores, and messages.
Over in right field, ten thousand seats have been torn out. They're being refurbished as part of a larger waterproofing project.
It is all part of the Red Sox' 10-year plan to "make the ballpark a better, bigger, more comfortable place to be and to insure that Fenway Park stays around for the next 20, 30, 40 years," said Lucchino.
And while a snow-covered diamond might look discouraging, contractors say they budget their time counting on a brutal winter, so they're confident they'll make Opening Day. After all, they point out, there's really no flexibility with that date.
WBZ-TV's Jim Armstrong reports.
"We're right on schedule right now," according to Richard Walsh of Walsh Brothers Construction.
The Gate D concourse area is also getting a huge makeover. Ramps and walkways will be re-graded and made more accessible so fans can get around more easily inside the concession area.
Jonathan Gilula, the team's Executive Vice President for Business Affairs, said everything is being done to make a visit to Fenway better for fans. He wants Red Sox nation to "come and think of this as an improvement, certainly, but that the look and feel of the ballpark has not changed."
