re: Regions Field is almost complete.. Hopefully, the SEC Tourney moves...

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Are the ED of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce or something?

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No shite

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The concession lines weren't bad

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You must of gotten lucky, the few I tried to go to were pretty bad...



LINK

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BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- It was already the top of the first inning in the Birmingham Barons' home opener against the Mississippi Braves when Debbie Rosser took $5 from a young couple in a white SUV and guided them into the last open parking spot at her husband's medical practice.

Rosser said she and her husband, Dr. Jon Rosser, sold each of about 50 spots at the Alabama Colon and Rectal Institute at 1317 4th Ave. South, just a couple of blocks from the new Regions Field.

"Tonight has been great," Rosser said. Her son, a student at Auburn University, is coming to Birmingham to help out Thursday night. If Wednesday night is any indication, she said she thinks it can turn into a good summer job for him.

Wednesday night was a good night for people selling parking spots around Regions Field, but not every lot was full. For baseball fans, that surplus was a good thing.

Many fans for the sold-out home opener said they had no trouble finding a parking spot. The Barons set aside some lots for fans and season-ticket holders, but shuttles brought fans from other parts of town, free parking was available on many streets and closer spots at nearby businesses -- such as Dr. Rosser's -- were available for a price.

As a UAB student, Andrew Vines didn't even have to worry about looking.

"I just used my parking pass," he said.

Vines said he and his friends only had to walk about three blocks to get to the ballpark. A lot of fans had an even shorter walk.


Enlarge Mark Almond | malmond@al.com
Ben Evans, 7, waits for a foul ball on the opening night game at Regions Field in Birmingham, Ala., Wednesday, April 10, 2013. (Mark Almond/malmond@al.com)
Fans and Activities at Regions Field: April 10, 2013 gallery (35 photos)

It's less than a block from the outfield grass to the parking spaces at Pro-Fit, where Marshall Wright was charging $10 per spot to fill up the store's 30-space lot. One of Wright's friends works at Pro-Fit, and the two of them made handwritten signs to draw baseball fans toward their lot.

"It's going great," Wright said less than an hour before the game, when only about 10 of the spaces were still open.

Wright, a UAB student, said he was concerned that, after people got used to the new ballpark, attendance would drop off and the demand for parking spots would dry up.

"It depends on if people keep coming to the games," he said.

Safety didn't seem to worry many people coming to Wednesday's game. Less than a month after a 15-year-old was shot and killed at nearby Railroad Park, many fans said they had no worries coming downtown.

"As long as they keep security out here, they'll be OK," said Tim Key, who works for Russo Corporation, a contractor that worked on the stadium early in its construction. "It's a lot like going to Atlanta for the Braves."

The Birmingham Police Department had officers on foot, in cars and even on horseback around the park, and fans said that helped reassure them even more.

Vines said he and his friends often to go Good People Brewing Co., across the street from Regions Field, and felt safe in the area.

At Railroad Park, just across 1st Avenue South from the park, the large field was mostly empty, but there were still plenty of people enjoying the evening. A large crowd of people turned out for a Zumba class as part of the Get Healthy on the Railroad program.

Heath Viner, who brought his young daughter to the park, said the baseball game didn't have much impact on the parking situation.

"We didn't have to look very hard for a spot," at about 6 p.m., he said.

Henri Doakes, who was headed to Regions Field for the game, said she didn't go to many Barons games when they played in Hoover but was excited about having the ballpark downtown.

"It's exciting that we're able to do something here," she said. "We don't have to go somewhere else to do something."

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How much did this economic disaster cost the city? Looks like a great stadium, but an absolutely great way of burning money. Did they call this "economic development?" Because it's not.

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Stay your arse in Mississippi. OK!? Thanks!

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Nope - I will be in Hoover through 2016. If Hoover can't keep up the stadium and the SEC cancels the contract, then so be it. It won't matter to me where it goes if the Hoover Met can't keep it. Good luck with your ghetto project, though.

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it was 65 mill, and something the city desperately needed.

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I have to laugh at this again.

Are you googling feverishly trying to justify this bout of complete economic stupidity on your part?

Birmingham and Alabama are light years ahead of anything in Mississippi.

Great looking stadium. It really is. I just still can't believe the city is this economically inept.

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I just still can't believe the city is this economically inept.

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I'm pretty sure Regions put up most of the money...Birmingham isn't inept, it's Jefferson County that is inept....Did you see the forbes list on the previous page? The article has some interesting statistics on commercial office space and population demographics etc...

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Birmingham, Ala.
Downtown, the number of residents downtown has increased 32% since 2000, with 737 planned units in the construction pipeline. A stadium for the minor league baseball team the Birmingham Barons has been built at Railroad Park, a green space created on a former industrial site next to a rail corridor. Office space absorption was positive in 2012, with net 126,000 square feet leased out, and downtown employment density relative to the southern city’s size is comparable to Philadelphia’s business district, according to REV Birmingham.

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Edit: Thanks for the kind words on the Stadium...

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I'm pretty sure Regions put up most of the money..

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bullshite. Regions might pay a million a year for naming rights.

Drive By BBQ, Thanks for sharing the LA Times story about Birmingham. I have lived in the greater Bham area now for 10 years and still really enjoy living here. The Greater Bham area might not be a tourist destination but really is a good place to live and raise a family. I really think Bham has so much unrealized potential but with the new developments such as the Ball Park, the Avondale area and Barber Motorsports Park maybe this city is finally starting to achieve some of that potential. There is no other city in the South East I would rather be in during the Fall (only exception of Tuscaloosa on a Saturday). This is such a fun College Football (SEC Town). Having 2 FM Sports Radio Stations devoted to College Football says a lot about the crazy fans from just about SEC Football Fanbase. Those haters either have not been here in years or went to some of the wrong places. Some people judge a city when they fly in and stay in a hotel for work. Just like any smaller non-tourist destination city you have to know where to go here. If you take the time and make the effort your expectations will be exceeded.