The Green Bay Packers have unveiled detailed plans to expand Lambeau Field. The $130 million dollar project includes about 6600 new seats in the south end zone, on four different levels. “The way this is designed . . . it will be like a wall of fans or a wall of sound,” said Packers president Mark Murphy. The Packers will pay for the project themselves, through traditional bonding. It won’t impact the half-cent Brown County sales tax that was created for the 2003 renovation. The team is also considering another stock sale to help pay for the project. “The last stock sale we had was ’98, and we netted about $20 million,” said Murphy. The project will break ground on September 1st, but they’ll start much of the work after this season. The north end zone and the new Jumbotrons will be ready for the 2012 season, and the south end zone will open in 2013.
Murphy said they didn’t want to jeopardize the “feel” of Lambeau Field. “We want to make sure we do it right, and to improve it,” said Murphy. The goal for the expansion will be for it to look as if it’s always been there. Current season ticket holders will get the chance to trade their existing seats for the ones in the south end zone. Murphy says then they’ll go to the season-ticket waiting list which has about 83,000 people on it.
Mike Kemmeter, WHBY