Hartford Stadium Authority meeting about Dunkin' Donuts stadium meeting at City Hall said the ballpark will be ready for opening day, but they don't expect to break even financially for another two years.
Patrick Nails, from Arch Insurance, said all major construction is complete and now, it is merely finalizing a punch list while working with city inspectors.
Already, Hartford has accepted and signed off on 60 percent of the ballpark.
"I don't foresee anything at this point that will prevent opening day from going forward," said Nails, who added, "We now believe we will be in position for full acceptance and a permanent certificate of occupancy prior to April 13, not an absolute certainty but we think we can get there and that's what we are working toward now."
Mayor Luke Bronin praised Nails and his team, along with construction company Whiting-Turner, for their work on the stadium and commitment to having it ready by opening day on April 13.
But, officials noted the realization that the stadium, and its surrounding environs, won't make money for the first two years.
Anne Goshdigian, who spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting, said, "We will be operating at a loss for the first two years and I'm going to add to that and say at least the first two years unless something happens with that ancillary development. That is our only hope for realizing any sort of financial gain from this project."
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In response, Bronin stated, "Anyone who said that this was going to make money for the city of Hartford was lying to the people of Hartford or wasn't paying attention. But we inherited this. And we are going to make the best of it. And the way we make the best of it first of all is getting this done and protecting taxpayers at the same time by getting the insurance company to come in. And then next turning our attention to the development of the surrounding lots."
