Softball Park construction

[Hammer58]

_ This is form the horses mouth. While looking around the softball consturction last Sept. I ran across Scott Farmer. Without asking he said that things would be completed by Thanksgiving. That's Thanksgiving 2010. Here we are 39 days before the first pitch. After putting up $1110 for my seats I would hope that I don't have to sit on lawn chairs as stated by someone who is willing to do so. This contruction will never be complete by game day. They have tons of brick work, press box and suits to be put in and bricked. The roof to be installed and not to mention all the plumbing and electrical work. Now picture this: how much work do you think will be done during the season? Not very much because of the libility factor. I think we are loaded with home games to start the season. So to the one who says lawn chairs will be ok with him, let me say this. Walking up and buying general admision tickets will not be a problem. But for me and others like me it will be. If you don't think they are not rubbing their heads at the ticket office with the approching home game you better pull your head out the sand..........Question, do you think the almighty 50 miles to the east would put up with this?????????? _

They wouldn't have to since Descant would make sure to have it finished on time for them. Descant is a big-time participant in some LSUA&MC Construction Management advisory board or some such organization. That connection and doing first rate work for State is what has them politically connected to have the inside track to keep being the low bidder and get state government contracts without having to be penalized for poor performance (as long as that poor performance does not apply to projects for State).

[lcitsh]

There should be news about completion in the next day or two. I will try to post as soon as I get it.

[Zeebart21]

_ There should be news about completion in the next day or two. I will try to post as soon as I get it. _

Thanks.

[Cajun90]

They wouldn't have to since Descant would make sure to have it finished on time for them. Descant is a big-time participant in some LSUA&MC Construction Management advisory board or some such organization. That connection and doing first rate work for State is what has them politically connected to have the inside track to keep being the low bidder and get state government contracts without having to be penalized for poor performance (as long as that poor performance does not apply to projects for State).

According to MisterCajun he knows a couple of influential legislators. He says our admin should call. If he knows them why doesn't he call them? I'm all for pushing this thing along.

Something that hasn't been mentioned. Wasn't this whole thing very slow to get off the ground because one of the state boards slowed the process down? Something about having concerns on how it "would look" due to the financial issues with the state.

I understand the frustration but I think the finger pointing is at the wrong people. I don't think Scott Farmer or anyone else LIED. Misinformed by others yes.

[LuLu]

_ They wouldn't have to since Descant would make sure to have it finished on time for them. Descant is a big-time participant in some LSUA&MC Construction Management advisory board or some such organization. That connection and doing first rate work for State is what has them politically connected to have the inside track to keep being the low bidder and get state government contracts without having to be penalized for poor performance (as long as that poor performance does not apply to projects for State). _

You may think Descant is the company responsible for the Softball Stadium, but Descant is the company working on the Bourgeois Hall Weight Room addition. The sign you see if for Bourgeois Hall, not the Softball Park. The company working on Softball's Lamson Park is Seating Construction USA out of Tampa, FL.

[HelmutVII]

This is their web site

http://www.seatingusa.com/

They are a licensed contractor in the State of Louisiana. From the web site it looks like they do mostly bleachers with a very little stadium work. I hope they have a good Bonding company.

If anybody says that they will be ready by February they are blowing smoke up your butt. It's not going to happen.

[Boomer]

_ You may think Descant is the company responsible for the Softball Stadium, but Descant is the company working on the Bourgeois Hall Weight Room addition. The sign you see if for Bourgeois Hall, not the Softball Park. The company working on Softball's Lamson Park is Seating Construction USA out of Tampa, FL. _

Maybe some of the work was SUBED OUT ------ Some bids won't allow this to be done---BTW--I have no clue on construction bids but for the yearbook all work had to be done by one company and at the same plant!!!!!

[Hammer58]

_ You may think Descant is the company responsible for the Softball Stadium, but Descant is the company working on the Bourgeois Hall Weight Room addition. The sign you see if for Bourgeois Hall, not the Softball Park. The company working on Softball's Lamson Park is Seating Construction USA out of Tampa, FL. _

I stand corrected. Thanks. An earlier post by someone who went by there identified Descant as the contractor.

Descant was the contractor who built the IPF and many of the same complaints about this project were also made about the IPF. And the IPF was not finished on schedule.

[Frenchie35]

_ You may think Descant is the company responsible for the Softball Stadium, but Descant is the company working on the Bourgeois Hall Weight Room addition. The sign you see if for Bourgeois Hall, not the Softball Park. The company working on Softball's Lamson Park is Seating Construction USA out of Tampa, FL. _

Looks like they are in over their head by looking at their web site and what they do as far as a time frame in constructing something like Lamson Park.

[moorecajun]

_ There should be news about completion in the next day or two. I will try to post as soon as I get it. _

There have been some of you here that have posted in the past with a knowledge of how state contracts are handled. Can't they stipulate a completion date with a significant penalty if not completed by said date? I think this has been covered again BUT I am reading the same slow construction comments as were made for the IPF!

Money talks and it seems to me having a completion date stipulation (which would include rain day exemptions) with a large penalty clause is the only way to ensure completion on time! AND if a contractor is penalized it should go on his performance record and be a penalty for future state construction bids!

[Hammer58]

_ There have been some of you here that have posted in the past with a knowledge of how state contracts are handled. Can't they stipulate a completion date with a significant penalty if not completed by said date? I think this has been covered again BUT I am reading the same slow construction comments as were made for the IPF!

Money talks and it seems to me having a completion date stipulation (which would include rain day exemptions) with a large penalty clause is the only way to ensure completion on time! AND if a contractor is penalized it should go on his performance record and be a penalty for future state construction bids! _

There are penalty clauses for failure to meet the specified completion date but IIRC with the IPF the state does not seem to make the penalties very severe. I forgot how much of a refund or penalty Descant was required to pay per day over the due date but it was relatively small. As far as this penalizing hem from future work, I recall those on here more familair with the process saying that getting a contractor removed from the bidding for past problems is a bureacratic nightmare.

[CajunAmos]

Passed by this morning on on the way to work, and it appears they will be lifting another building into place today. I think it may be the first of the press box buildings as I think all of the building located on the ground are already in place. Had a large amount of workers in the area as I went by.

[rhineaux]

_ According to MisterCajun he knows a couple of influential legislators. He says our admin should call. If he knows them why doesn't he call them? I'm all for pushing this thing along.

Something that hasn't been mentioned. Wasn't this whole thing very slow to get off the ground because one of the state boards slowed the process down? Something about having concerns on how it "would look" due to the financial issues with the state.

I understand the frustration but I think the finger pointing is at the wrong people. I don't think Scott Farmer or anyone else LIED. Misinformed by others yes. _

Yes, the start of the project was held up by one of the boards not approving the project. In fact, it hadn't been approved when they started demo before last season. I don't know when the final approval was given, but fans could have been sat behind the plate last year. So, I can see why some of these guys are ____ed.

However, I think the "instance" you're thinking of, with politicians worrying about how a project would "look", came a few months ago when UL asked for approval for the Student Union. The delay by the board for the Softball Stadium could have been for the same reasons, but if it was, it wasn't really reported like the stink over the Student Union was.



Anyone know what the capacity will be? The current configuration looks to be smaller than the published drawings.

[CajunAmos]

Yes, the start of the project was held up by one of the boards not approving the project. In fact, it hadn't been approved when they started demo before last season. I don't know when the final approval was given, but fans could have been sat behind the plate last year. So, I can see why some of these guys are ____ed.

However, I think the "instance" you're thinking of, with politicians worrying about how a project would "look", came a few months ago when UL asked for approval for the Student Union. The delay by the board for the Softball Stadium could have been for the same reasons, but if it was, it wasn't really reported like the stink over the Student Union was.

Overall, the capacity including outfield seating will be about 3000.


Anyone know what the capacity will be? The current configuration looks to be smaller than the published drawings.

Including outfield seating, the total was supposed to be somewhere about 3000.

[rhineaux]

_ Including outfield seating, the total was supposed to be somewhere about 3000. _

That's what I thought I remembered reading.

Like I said, it looks to be smaller. The drawings show two entries to the grandstand on either side of the press box, with another entry on the side. Frenchie's pictures show only one entry. Not sure if they reduced the seating or if they just reduced the number of ramps to the seating.

Also, the drawings also show chairbacks throughout the grandstand, but there will actually be bench seating. So while (potentially) removing 2 "sections" would seem to significantly reduce seating, there's a lot more ass-space with the benches than with the seats.