Hadlock plan would increase seats

PORTLAND, Maine – The Portland Sea Dogs have submitted plans to add 405 more seats to Hadlock Field, boosting the ballpark’s capacity to 7,380 spectators.

The plan calls for a new right-field section that would make the stadium the fourth-largest in the 12-team Eastern League.

The plan comes as the team gets ready for its second season as the Double A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, whose World Series victory in October is expected to generate additional interest in its affiliate teams.

The expansion plan was submitted to Portland’s planning department last month, and the state Department of Transportation publicized the plan in a legal advertisement this week citing the park’s proximity to a rail line.

Team President and General Manager Charlie Eshbach said the project is “far from a done deal.” The team is still figuring out timing of the expansion and how to pay for it, he said.

The team has a corporate sponsor but needs additional funding, said Eshbach, who wouldn’t estimate the project’s cost.

Even if the expansion is not completed by the season opener on April 7, construction could continue during the early part of the season. But Eshbach would want construction completed by late spring, when the weather improves, and certainly by July 13 when Portland hosts the Eastern League All-Star Game.

The expansion plans are changing daily, Eshbach said, but the plans submitted to the city call for a new right-field section to be built over the current Sea Dogs’ bullpen. The section would have pub-style seats with fans seated at counters, 10 rows deep.

The project would be the fourth expansion of Hadlock Field since the Sea Dogs came to the city in 1994. The team last year averaged 6,209 fans per game, which was third-best in the league.