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Example video title will go here for this video Bladeless Ceiling Fan
SEATTLE — It’s been nearly 25 years since the T-Mobile Park was redone, adding a retractable roof.
The plans started in the mid-90s, with a goal of creating a ballpark - formerly Safeco Field - with a roof that could be open on nice weather days, but closed on a rainy day in Seattle.
The roof was finished in 1999 and the first game played with the new roof installed was on July 15, 1999.
Vance Akres now oversees roof operations and also helped build it. Prior to his career with the Mariners, he worked in the iron industry.
Akres said there are multiple people who help decide if the roof should be open for a game. He said leaders look at multiple radars and forecasts, sometimes asking KING 5’s Rich Marriott for input. The head groundskeeper, club president, umpire, and team managers for both the home and visiting teams all have a say in if the roof should be open.
It takes about 10 minutes to open or close the 11,000-ton roof (22 million pounds). There are 96 motors, which Vance says get regular maintenance, just like a car motor. The 128 steel wheels run down an 810-foot rail, which looks like a railroad track.
There are two stop buttons, one that moves the roof at normal speed and one for emergency speed.
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