Time is a-wastin’: the renovation of PNC Field, home of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (Class AAA; International League), could begin Friday if a sale of the team is approved today.
Last night Lackawanna County commissioners and the Multi-Purpose Stadium Authority held a public hearing to go over the $14.6 million sale of the SWB Yankees to Mandalay Baseball Properties and the New York Yankees and the subsequent 30-year lease for the renovated ballpark. The deal was originally slated to close in March, but negotiations over the lease pushed things back, slightly raising the cost to $43.4 million. The county’s contribution is capped at $42 million; Mandalay/Yankees have already committed to picking up the $1.4-million overage.
Which is bad news on the construction front: the upper deck of the ballpark needs to come down before a new suite/press level can be installed. And with the SWB Yankees playing as a road team this season, the ballpark really needs to be done for the 2013 season. Hence the need to move quickly on ballpark work.
The construction timeline: according to manager Greg Butz, prep work on the site could begin Friday, with demolition of the upper deck starting Monday. The concrete foundation would be poured by June 1, with the steel infrastructure installed beginning Aug. 15. The ballpark would be ready for occupancy by March 24, 2013.
The Multi-Purpose Stadium Authority is scheduled to meet this morning at 8 a.m. ET to give final approval to the SWB Yanks sale.
Images courtesy of Lackawanna County.
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