City seeks public input on stadium design
Jeremy Ervin
jervin@jconline.com
LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Lafayette residents will have a chance in the coming weeks to contribute to the design of Loeb Stadium's replacement.
The city of Lafayette will hold two public input meetings on the replacement of Loeb Stadium in Columbian Park. The first event takes place Aug. 30 in the LGI Room of Lafayette Jefferson High School, 1801 S. 18th St. in Lafayette. It begins at 6:30 p.m. and is expected to go until 8 p.m.
"This is the very beginning of the design phase; we will use Kokomo as a template," Lafayette parks superintendent Claudine Laufman said.
Laufman said the city of Lafayette wants to emulate some elements of Kokomo Municipal Stadium, like its consideration of viewer experience.
"In Loeb Stadium, if you go get concessions, your view is removed from the field of play," Laufman said.
Renderings of the new baseball diamond will not be available at the Aug. 30 meeting. The input from the meetings will help determine the stadium's layout and design, Lafayette communications and marketing director Kara Bishop said.
"We're not coming to these meetings with any existing structure," Bishop said. "Where do you want the ticket booth? What about the traffic flow?"
The Lafayette Parks & Recreation Department also intends the new stadium to serve as a multi-use facility. Musical acts and other sports could potentially use the baseball diamond, Laufman said.
The stadium is slated to cost about $10 million. Construction is expected to be completed in segments, allowing games to still take place there.
"The whole purpose of the meeting is to be heard," Laufman said. "We want a facility that represents Lafayette very well. Lafayette is a strong baseball city."
A second meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 13 at Jefferson High School for anyone who cannot make the Aug. 30 meeting. The program of the meetings will be the same.
Contact J&C city and county government reporter Jeremy Ervin at 765-420-5393. Follow him on Twitter @ErvinJeremy.