It would appear we are in the value engineering stage of the development of a new Fayetteville (NC) ballpark, as another round of changes has lowered to the cost from $39 million to $34.7 million — and another round ahead to bring the cost to $33 million.
The changes, as outlined to the Fayetteville City Council’s Baseball Committee last night by construction firm Barton Malow and architect Populous, yielded a result that’s still 6 percent over budget. The process is still at the schematic phase; next up is the design development phase, which will yield the additional cost reductions.
The new ballpark is set to open for the 2019 season to house the Buies Creek Astros (High A; Carolina League). The design inspiration was Spirit Communications Park, home of the Columbia Fireflies (Low A; Sally League), our 2016 Ballpark of the Year.
That inspiration cuts both ways. The new Fayetteville ballpark will feature 4,500 seats and is about 20 percent smaller than Spirit Communications Park, which cost $39 million. But with the cost of materials rising since the construction of Spirit Communications Park began, it’s hard to make a direct cost comparison. Still, the ballpark will have all the features loved in Columbia, including a 360-degree concourse. From the Fayetteville Observer:
Mike Sabatini, a senior architect with Populous, told the committee the Fayetteville stadium will still have several of the amenities officials liked when they toured Columbia’s facility. Those include an open-air, 360-degree concourse; a bar in right field; bull pens in left field; and an open-air party deck.
In addition, Sabatini said, there will be a “rocking chair corner in left-center field in a park.”
“We thought this was unique,” Sabatini said. “Nobody has done this before.”
The Astros will spend the 2017 and 2018 seasons at Jim Perry Stadium.
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