Disability advocates says new Minnesota Twins stadium will be most accessible in USA

From Finance and Commerce in Minnesota:

People with disabilities should find it easier to take themselves out to the ballgame this spring when the new Twins stadium debuts.

The reason: Target Field (pictured) will be one of the nation’s most accessible stadiums, disability advocates say, with features such as extra-wide entrances and curb cuts for wheelchairs, outfield captioning boards, gradually sloping pedestrian bridges, slick mass transit access, and special hearing devices at some ticket windows.

Jeff Bangsburg, a member of the project’s access advisory committee, said it’s “been amazing to see a baseball team, the county, the city, the new ballpark owners all work together … to make sure this was far and above beyond code” for accessibility.

Some of the stadium’s technology — such as the devices at certain ticket windows that will connect to hearing aids, making it easier for hearing-impaired fans to communicate with ticket sellers — may even become a standard for new stadiums.

At least that’s the hope of disability advocates such as Margot Imdieke, a member of the ballpark’s access advisory committee, who presented an award Friday to the Minnesota Ballpark Authority for its role in making the stadium navigable.

Imdieke said the new stadium will go above and beyond the code for accessibility. For example, all of Target Field’s entrances will be accessible for people with disabilities, easily exceeding Minnesota’s 60 percent standard.

Advertisement Other features include: 34-inch concession counters; Braille and large-print menus at concessions; home-plate drop-offs for Metro Mobility; and sight lines that work for people in wheelchairs, even when the rest of the crowd is on its feet.

“What I am basically reporting on is not mere compliance, but how we have exceeded the code and how we have made it more accessible for so many people,” Imdieke said at the MBA meeting.

The 20-member access advisory committee, which includes disabled community members and representatives from local advocacy groups such as Courage Center, has been advising the ballpark project team from early on in the design process.

Populous, the ballpark’s design firm, has placed an emphasis on accessibility, according to Dan Kenney, executive director of the Minnesota Ballpark Authority. The design firm hired a consultant to work on those issues, Kenney noted.

Imdieke, an accessibility specialist with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, was charged with recruiting folks to participate on the access advisory committee.

One of those committee members is Bangsburg.

At Friday’s meeting, Bangsburg commended the MBA and the rest of the project team for its “level of commitment to make sure we really, truly have an accessible ballpark that is really meant for all individuals to enjoy, no matter what ability impairment one may have.”

Simple design features — such as a second elevator to provide “redundancy” in the transit area in case one of the elevators is down, and wider curb cuts on the walkways outside the stadium — can make a big difference, he noted.

He described a post-game scenario in which 500 to 1,000 people are exiting the stadium, “all walking across the street, and we are looking for this little curb cut somewhere. So having a wider curb cut is extremely important.”

Sitting in his wheelchair in a small conference room inside the Metrodome, Bangsburg tried to be diplomatic as he contrasted the existing downtown Minneapolis domed stadium with the new ballpark.

“No offense to this building here, but where we are going to be … we would consider very revolutionary,” Bangsburg said.

The Minnesota Ballpark Committee commended the advisory committee for its work on the project.

“The public is making an enormous investment in this new ballpark,” MBA commissioner Joan Campbell said in a statement. “Therefore, everyone in the community should be able to access and enjoy Target Field.

“While it’s exciting to see all of the new features that will bring disabled fans closer to the action on the field, it’s important that we continue updating and improving access long after the first pitch.”

Also at the meeting, project officials said Target Field is on budget and on track for completion in March.

As of early December, crews were putting the finishing touches on millwork and floor installation, wall and ceiling closures, sidewalk improvements, gate and plaza signage, railing and seat installation, and other tasks, according to the MBA.

One interesting item: The project team successfully completed a “big flush” to test the pipes and plumbing systems. In addition, the team has completed its “final aiming” of field lights, and sound system testing is getting under way this month.