Green Bay Update — Jan/Feb 2021

Time for an offseason update from Green Bay, and specifically, the area around Lambeau Field as it relates to the Packers. Here we see the stadium in its February slumber among the neighboring houses, as seen from the southwest.

Your Packerville, U.S.A. editor, posing with some guy named Vince (didn't catch his last name) out in front of the Lambeau Field Atrium. Both of us are wearing team-supplied masks, although his has a much larger team logo. My mask is one of the two that the Packers sent to all season ticket holders. Tip: Cloth masks also make great face warmers when you’re walking around outside and taking photos of football-related matters.

Now, let’s take a look at the Titletown District construction. This view is from the vantage point of approaching the western construction site gate off Marlee Lane. The building on the left will be the commercial real estate and the building on the right will be residential apartments.

A closer view of the “130,000 square feet of mixed-use office space above retail and restaurant space” currently under construction.

A closer view of the “150 apartment building units” structure currently under construction. 

Another view of the residential structure with Lambeau Field to the east in the distance. The commercial and residential construction is on the western end of the Titletown District.

Now we see a frozen playground in the foreground, with some of the “70-90 townhomes available for ownership” which have been, and are currently being, constructed along the south edge of the Titletown District, along Brookwood Drive.

Above and below are more views of the townhomes in various stages of completion, facing the Titletown District football field.

Now we are looking at the apartments structure again, this time as viewed from the east, or more specifically, from the west end of the Titletown District football field.

A “pulled back view” of the apartments structure from the same location as the previous photo.

As you might imagine, there was no activity on the Titletown District football field on a weekday morning in February.

Another view of the west end of the Titletown District construction site.

Another view of the west end of the Titletown District construction site.

A view of the townhomes from across the football field, looking south.

Another view of the west end of the Titletown District construction site. The football field is to the left in this photo.

In case you forget where you are and need to get your bearings again.

A view of the townhomes from across the football field, looking south.

Now we shift our focus to construction projects on the other side of Lambeau Field. In today’s Green Bay Press Gazette, there was a small article on the “big dig” going on in the east side of the main stadium parking lot. This image accompanied their article.

(Photo: SARAH KLOEPPING/USA TODAY-WISCONSIN).

Well, if we wanted to do the same thing, we could just provide our readers with the same type of photo (seen here), pulled back a bit to show more of the construction site’s location. But that doesn’t depict what’s really going on.

At Packerville, U.S.A., we hope you expect more, and so we strive to go the extra mile and give you photos like this to show you exactly what the project entails. You can see Lambeau Field behind the construction, with the Johnsonville Tailgate Village extending towards the right edge of the photo. The two buildings are perpendicular to each other, and the giant hole being dug backs up to S. Oneida Street, which runs north and south along the eastern edge of stadium property.

The project is a relocation of a 400,000-gallon wastewater surge tank that was originally installed during stadium renovations in 2003. The original tank is the one in which a construction worker told us they installed a sign that reads “Vikings Locker Room.” Let’s hope that continues with this new tank!

An action shot of a dump truck being loaded.

Here is the construction fencing along S. Oneida Street.

The construction as viewed from across S. Oneida Street.

The Resch Expo building is complete and has recently hosted a boat show and a bridal show. This building sits at the northeast corner of Armed Forces Drive and S. Oneida Street, and the city and Packers hope it will figure into the equation of Green Bay being awarded the NFL Draft soon.

It also created a problem (and added costs) for the Packers which will be explained in a minute. See how the Resch Expo has a second level? Hold that thought...

Shouldn’t legendary Packers’ QB Bart Starr be treated better? Just sayin'...

As we look ahead to the summer, we hope to be walking up these steps in a few months to watch Packer Training Camp practices. Well, no, not not with snow on them obviously. Last year I watched zero practices for the first time since 1988 because of the dreaded pestilence. I want to again attend every practice at training camp. How do we all give that a better chance of happening? WEAR YOUR DANG MASK AND GET YOUR VACCINE WHEN AVAILABLE.

There is also no snow here in the summertime during camp. Although there are many super hot days when a little snow would be welcomed.

O.K., now back to the Resch Expo and the Packers. All of these tall black posts are new since last fall. Because the new expo center has a second level, the Packers were concerned about potential spying occurring during in-season practices on either Clarke Hinkle Field or Ray Nitschke Field practices.

You see, during training camp, fans and media are allowed to watch practices. But, during the regular season, the green tarps go up on all fencing around the practice field being used and no viewing of the goings-on are allowed. The media is also restricted in their access.

So, because of the construction of the Resch Expo and that second level, these tall posts were added. What do these posts do, you ask?

These last photos are from January 14, 2020 in the days prior to the NFC Divisional game against the Los Angeles Rams.

To block any view of practice from the new Resch Expo, the Packers now raise black screens while the team is using the field(s).

Here we see media members leaving practice while the team continues with their preparatory work before the playoff game.

A closer view of the screens from a different angle.

This shows the traditional green tarps on the practice fields once preparations for the regular season starts.

We’ll end with a shot from video showing the field scoreboards in use during Packers practice sessions, and the black screens as they appear from inside. This is what you’d see while waiting at the stoplight in the northbound lane on S. Oneida Street. Thanks for visiting. Stop by again during the offseason.

One Season Ends — Another Begins

The new NFL champions were crowned last night in Tampa, Fla., and if there is one consolation to the Packers losing the NFC Championship game to the Buccaneers, it’s that we were beaten by the team that won the title. So now we enter the offseason, where news is scarce and the effects of the pandemic still form a cloud over the next season. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell released a letter to the fans today, which we have shared above.

When the clock ran out on Super Bowl LV, the 2021 NFL Draft Order was solidified. As the Green bay Packers have become accustomed to, unless they employ some draft day trades, the best 28 players in each round will be gone by the time their turn comes at pick #29. We’ll leave all prognostications to the prognosticators in regards to what happens April 29th-May 1st in Cleveland — if the draft event is actually held “in person.”

Packerville, U.S.A. will remain active through the offseason. We’ll share new things that come along, as well as more from our Packers archives. Stop by from time to time, and thanks for visiting throughout the 2020 season!

2021 NFL Awards

Congratulations to QB Aaron Rodgers and former Packers’ CB/S Charles Woodson on their awards last night at the 2021 NFL Honors. Rodgers, to no one’s surprise, took the NFL MVP (Most Valuable Player) Award for his performance in the 2020 season. Woodson was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the entirety of his career (Oakland, 1998-2005, Green Bay 2006-2012, Oakland 2013-2015). He played longer for Oakland, but he won a championship in Green Bay.

Here is the entire 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.