Top Menu

Biloxi ballpark construction finally underway

MGM Park

Talk about starting off in a deep hole: construction of a new Biloxi ballpark for the relocating Huntsville Stars (Class AA; Southern League) is finally starting this week, with the city still looking for ways to cut costs.

The construction is starting off modestly — just a crane and working installing some test piles — and the real work should be well underway before the end of the month.

Bids for MGM Park came in well above estimates, forcing city officials to scramble with some value engineering, some cuts and some creative methods for shaving costs, like having the city buying materials to avoid a sales tax. A consultant has also been brought into control costs, according to the Biloxi Sun-Herald:

In preparation for the stadium, the City Council last week hired Chris Gouras Jr. of Gouras & Associates as planning consultant to coordinate and attend meetings with the team, review leases and prepare revenue projections for the stadium….

When the low bid from W.G. Yates & Sons Construction came in higher than expected — and more than the city’s budget for the stadium — the council cut extras out of the project and extended the timeline to stay within or close to its $36 million budget.

Gouras will help the city apply for and administer grants from the state, including a Tourism Rebate Incentive.

There is, of course, a lot at stake in getting the ballpark operational as soon as possible. The current schedule delays the opening of the ballpark to July 1, 2015 at the earliest. With this plan, a penalty clause kicks in because the ballpark won’t be ready for the first 35 home games, giving the owners of the Stars $10,000 per missed game: $350,000. But there’s also the chance more games could be missed, so if construction stretches out to the end of August, the team could miss 55 home games — and receive $550,000 from Biloxi.

RELATED STORIES: Disaster in Biloxi: New ballpark may not be ready until August 2015; Biloxi ballpark bids busting budget; After almost 60K votes, Biloxi name-the-team contest ends; Biloxi “slammed” with name-the-team votes; Name-the-team finalists unveiled for Biloxi team; Biloxi scraps ballpark construction plan; seeks new project manager; Name-the-team contest underway in Biloxi; Rogers named GM; Field naming rights in Biloxi up for bid; Biloxi to issue bonds for new ballpark; Biloxi ballpark groundbreaking set for Thursday; New Biloxi ballpark draws interest from developers; It’s official: Huntsville Stars sold, expected to move to Biloxi in 2015; Biloxi sets up ballpark spending, contingent on team purchase; Biloxi approves new-ballpark financing funding; team set to play in 2015; Young: New ballpark will spark downtown Biloxi growth; Consultant: Biloxi ballpark site would be a winner; Biloxi: Let’s slow down new-ballpark plan; New Biloxi ballpark could slip to 2015; Biloxi petition drive falls short; council to study bond rates; Proposed Biloxi ballpark draws opposition; rally set for today; Biloxi group wants referendum on new ballpark; Bennett, Young, Bryant unveil plans for new Biloxi ballpark; Bennett: We can open Biloxi ballpark in 2014; Biloxi commits to borrowing $21 million for new ballpark; Another run at affiliated ball in Biloxi; Talk about Biloxi ballpark emerges again

—-

Share your news with the baseball community. Send it to us at editors@augustpublications.com.

Are you a subscriber to the weekly Ballpark Digest newsletter? You can sign up for a free subscription at the Newsletter Signup Page.

Join Ballpark Digest on Facebook and on Twitter!

Follow Ballpark Digest on Google + and add us to your circles!

, , , , ,