An artist's rendering of a new feature coming to Chukchansi Park in late August.

published on May 18, 2018 - 3:55 PM

Written by Gabriel Dillard

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Work has already begun on a new “hospitality area” of Chukchansi Park that will feature multi-tiered seating with a bar, food options and six 65-inch high-def TVs.

Zumwalt Construction of Fresno won the contract to build the patio area on the third-base line, where about a thousand seats will be removed to make way for the project to be built by Fresno’s Zumwalt Construction.

The area will be open to any fan in the ballpark with a ticket.

“The days of fans sitting in one seat for a two-and-a-half or three-hour baseball game are long over,” said Fresno Grizzlies President Derek Franks. “What we’re creating here is a gathering place for anyone in the ballpark to get a unique vantage point of the game, and the ability to meet up and be social with friends and acquaintances without missing any action. Chukchansi Park has always had great potential for an upgrade like this, so we’re thrilled we have a new ownership group stepping up to the plate to make it happen.”

Construction is expected to start sometime around the June 5-11 homestand. It is expected to be complete by late August, in time for the final regular-season home games and potential postseason play in September.

The patio is also expected to be used for non-game day community and nonprofit organization gatherings.

“The last thing we wanted to do is wait until the offseason to begin construction – we’re serious about showing fans right away the level of improvements we want to make to Chukchansi Park,” said Michael Baker, managing general partner of the new ownership group. “We have a facility in great shape here in Downtown Fresno, and this left field social club project will help put it in the upper-echelon of Triple-A ballparks. It’s an exciting start, and we can’t wait to have the space available for the duration of the 2019 season.

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