If it’s spring, it’s time for Mississippi River flooding. And that means the Quad Cities River Bandits (Low Class A; Midwest League) are preparing Modern Woodmen Park for access to the ballpark while the waters invade the parking lot.
Improvements made to Modern Woodmen Park over the last five or six years, such as the addition of a huge outfield berm and a better outfield drainage system, have pretty much kept water out of the ballpark itself, even during the heaviest of flooding. But the improvements do not keep water from seeping into the ballpark parking lots, making access an issue, as you can see from the above photo from years past.
The River Bandits and the City of Davenport have in the past worked out a system where a pedestrian walkway is in place over part of the flooded parking lot, allowing fans to park at a more remote dry and and walk directly to Modern Woodmen Park. Currently, flood panels are in place around the front plaza of Modern Woodmen Park in anticipation of the upcoming homestand, April 15-20, and the final flood panels will be installed shortly.
Which will be in the nick of time: the Mississippi River is expected to reach the complete perimeter of the flood protection by Sunday, and the city will probably close the parking lot west of the stadium under the Centennial Bridge by Monday’s game.
—-
Share your news with the baseball community. Send it to us at editors@augustpublications.com.
Subscribers to the weekly Ballpark Digest newsletter see features before they’re posted to the site. You can sign up for a free subscription at the Newsletter Signup Page.
Join Ballpark Digest on Facebook and on Twitter!