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Next up: Construction bids
Planners will open bids Aug. 5 for key contracts on the $18.09M stadium.
By JIM SEIP
Daily Record/Sunday News

Jul 14, 2006 — The York Revolution is scheduled to play ball next year, but there is a possibility the team's proposed downtown stadium might not open in June 2007, as planned.

It could take much longer, considering potential obstacles in the construction process.

Organizers, therefore, already have a contingency plan that includes taking York's team across the Susquehanna River to play "home" games in Lancaster.

Stadium project manager Blanda Nace lists the latest stadium construction budget at $18.09 million. The trick for organizers is keeping construction bids under that number.

Demolition in the Arch Street neighborhood began July 6, and organizers want to begin stadium construction by September. But the start of construction hinges on the sealed bids now being collected by Manchester Township-based Wagman Construction, the stadium's construction manager.

Up for bid are five separate contracts: general trades, plumbing, sprinklers, electric and heating.

General trades is the largest of the five contracts and consists of nearly everything not covered by the four other contracts.

Stadium planners are to open sealed bids Aug. 2, and they will need about a week to review the bids.

If just one of the contracts runs higher than expected, a negotiating or re-bidding process might not affect the York Revolution's 2007 Atlantic League schedule. But if several bids miss the mark by millions, stadium construction could be pushed back months - possibly derailing a 2007 season in York.

Officials in York Professional Baseball have been involved in building 12 stadiums prior to the proposed stadium in York. In every case, the initial bids came in over budget.

In addition, there was a setback last month on a 13th stadium in southern Maryland, when bids ran millions over budget for a stadium in Charles County. The high sticker price postponed construction, making it impossible for the Atlantic League's expansion Southern Maryland Blue Crabs to take the field in 2007.

"We have done 13 of these, and this is the 14th," York Professional Baseball chairman Peter Kirk said. "All 13 have gone the same way. . . . We have our fingers crossed."

According to Wagman Construction President and Chief Operating Officer David Cross, the bidding process looks promising. Organizers want as many bids as possible, but three is the lucky number.

With only one bid, "there is no negotiating potential," Cross said.

If they receive two bids for one contract, with one bid going high and another falling below budget, organizers have to find out who's right and who's wrong. Three bids usually translates to a clear picture of the market.

So far, it appears organizers will avoid a major setback when it comes to finding too few bidders. Cross said he expects at least three bids for all but one of the contracts - and even that could change in the coming days.

York Professional Baseball's experience works in its favor. Kirk already has contingency plans if one or more bids come in over budget.

In Lancaster, the group was able to stay relatively on schedule despite seeing some construction bids that went over budget.

"The bids that came in under budget were the first parts (of the stadium) to be built," Kirk said.

The foundation and plumbing were in place by the time organizers signed their final contracts. Lancaster's Clipper Magazine Stadium was built in less than a year, and it opened its gates for the Barnstormers' 12th game of the 2005 season on May 12.

Kirk also said some bids might only need tweaking. Keeping a bid under budget might be as simple as switching the brand-name appliances used in the stadium's kitchen.

The best-case scenario remains Kirk's experience in Wilmington, Del. Construction started in October, and games were played in April.

"We had a great winter," Kirk said.

He has also survived the ugly side of stadium construction.

"In Bowie (Md.), we had a horrendous winter," Kirk said. "We didn't move in until the middle of June."

That team was forced to play "home" games in Frederick, Md.; Wilmington, Del.; and College Park, Md.

If York's stadium is not ready by the start of the season, Kirk said, York Professional Baseball would move York's early season home games across the Susquehanna River to Clipper Magazine Stadium.

A quick fix for keeping construction on schedule would be finding more money.

"We've discussed that," Nace said. "There's a possibility we could reach out to private investors, (York Professional Baseball) or developers, but we will most likely hold the line."

It's the path with no clear future. It means reorganizing, altering plans and troubleshooting problems.

But that's part of what stadium organizers expect to encounter in the coming weeks.

Reach Jim Seip at 771-2025 or jseip@ydr.com.

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