Softball Park construction

[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.

[LuLu]

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

Apparently the stadium will not look like the drawings we have seen. Does anyone know what it is supposed to look like? I'll bet not! I was told they took off 100 seats from the home plate side and about 200 seats from the outfield.

The outfield bleachers are also going to be renovated and should all look alike when completed. These will not have the back bar. Supposedly, the red seats will be removed and replaced. So, the total seats, which were supposed to be 3000 will now be between 2700 and 2800. The old stadium had 2250 seats according to the Media Guide for 2009.

Ask someone who knows why the locker room had to be replaced. Unbelievable!

This would be a good poll question. Will the softball stadium be completed for the first pitch on 02-11-2011? (Oops! There are two elevens showing, two twos and two zeroes is this an omen? )

[MisterCajun]

_ 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. _

To Cajun90:

I did make a few calls to some sympathetic legislators yesterday and I take full credit for the progress report posted by CajunAmos today. Now, how come T-Joe or David Walker couldn't have done this sooner!

[CajunAmos]

Apparently the stadium will not look like the drawings we have seen. Does anyone know what it is supposed to look like? I'll bet not! I was told they took off 100 seats from the home plate side and about 200 seats from the outfield.

The outfield bleachers are also going to be renovated and should all look alike when completed. These will not have the back bar. Supposedly, the red seats will be removed and replaced. So, the total seats, which were supposed to be 3000 will now be between 2700 and 2800. The old stadium had 2250 seats according to the Media Guide for 2009.

Ask someone who knows why the locker room had to be replaced. Unbelievable!

This would be a good poll question. Will the softball stadium be completed for the first pitch on 02-11-2011? (Oops! There are two elevens showing, two twos and two zeroes is this an omen? )

Locker room needed to be replaced as it was in the way of the stadium. The old locker room also housed the general public bathrooms for men & women for the stadium, so the actual usable space for the team was pretty small. The new locker room will actually house the coaches offices so they don't have to have offices at EKL gym, but can actually be at the field. It will also house washers/dryers, so all support functions will all be located at the field.

[Frenchie35]

_ Apparently the stadium will not look like the drawings we have seen. Does anyone know what it is supposed to look like? I'll bet not! I was told they took off 100 seats from the home plate side and about 200 seats from the outfield.

The outfield bleachers are also going to be renovated and should all look alike when completed. These will not have the back bar. Supposedly, the red seats will be removed and replaced. So, the total seats, which were supposed to be 3000 will now be between 2700 and 2800. The old stadium had 2250 seats according to the Media Guide for 2009.

Ask someone who knows why the locker room had to be replaced. Unbelievable!

This would be a good poll question. Will the softball stadium be completed for the first pitch on 02-11-2011? (Oops! There are two elevens showing, two twos and two zeroes is this an omen? ) _

I don't know what this staduim will hold, but from what I have seen and walked and took pictures of this statium, it looks like the seating has double on the stadium side. To settle this I will try and get the count in the stadium only.

[lcitsh]

The contractor has promised that construction will be completed before the season starts. They still have to build one of the buildings, but it will be finished and everything done in time.