Starting to Dream

The AZ Republic has a couple of articles in today's paper about Gilbert's budget approval, including one that talks about the increase needed for the Big League Dreams project next door to Highland Groves:

A $33.6 million spending cap was placed on the Big League Dreams ballpark complex by the Gilbert Town Council on Tuesday night.

That's $10 million more than Gilbert officials thought the eight-field complex and its clubhouses and food courts would cost when the controversial project was introduced to the town two years ago.

But escalating construction costs and changes to the project have swelled the overall price tag of the largest one-time park expenditure in Gilbert's history, said Paul Mood, Gilbert's Capital Improvement Program coordinator.

I'm sure that I've never mentioned this before, but projects always cost more and take longer...

The article details some of the specific reasons for the increases:

Town staff, not Big League Dreams LLC, the project's developer, recommended many of the changes, Mood said.

Like other construction projects in Arizona, Big League Dreams has been hit by sharp price increases for lumber, steel, fuel and concrete.

Among the more dramatic changes is that the park will use natural grass fields instead of artificial turf.

Many types of artificial turf retain heat, making field temperatures as hot as 180 degrees and hampering daytime activity, Mood said.

"If it gets that hot, you simply couldn't run it in the summer," Mood said.

Other factors raising the price centered on Gilbert's higher standards for landscaping and other improvements, Mood said. Town staff also made stiffer requirements for the buildings.

The high standards of the Town of Gilbert are both a blessing and a curse. Of course we all like high quality projects and want our town to reflect that. On the other hand, reasonable people don't always agree on the details of the requirements; and because we are in a high growth cycle, it can take quite a while for the necessary approvals. And in this case, you have the added complexity of the project being a joint private/government affair.

In any case, it does appear that Big League Dreams is nearly ready to begin construction. Bias For Action received a phone call earlier this week to discuss placement of fences on the project, so I assume that now that the budget changes are approved we'll see some action.

Earth on the 65-acre site could be moved as early as the next two to four weeks, said Jason Van Dyke, a Phoenix-based project manager for Kitchell CEM.

Construction is estimated to take 12 to 14 months, Van Dyke said.