There are more construction delays Dunkin’ Donuts Park in Hartford and opening day might not happen until Fourth of July weekend, according to the chairman of the Hartford Stadium Authority.
Hartford Stadium Authority Chairman I. Charles Mathews said an opening day of the Fourth of July weekend is based on a projection of 30 days of construction.
“If they need 30 more days to complete the work, the Yard Goats need a week or two to burn out. So do the math. So we’re thinking the end of June or the first week of July," Matthews said. "It feels that way now. Someone may tell me something different but that’s the way it feels to me as chairperson."
Hartford mayor Luke Bronin said his administration is continuing to consult with all of the parties involved in the project, assessing all of the options and will decide on a course soon.
“Obviously, we want to have baseball played as quickly as possible. We also want to make sure that we are protecting, above all, the interest of the Hartford taxpayers and making sure that any revised schedule is absolutely reliable,” he said.
The original "substantial completion" date for the stadium was in March, but then it was pushed back to May 17.
“I personally would have loved to have been there for the city to hand the keys over to Josh (Yard Goats owner Josh Solomon) and see baseball as soon as possible, but it’s construction. Things happen on construction sites. There’s always the unknowns. They come up,” Jason Rudnick, manager of DoNo Hartford LLC, a company developed by developer Centerplan, said.
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A day after the deadline, there is still a bit of work to do on the stadium. The bathrooms aren't complete, concessions stands need more work and this is still more of an active construction site than a baseball stadium, according to Matthews.
“Elevators are not in. Some stairwells are not in. Bathrooms are not completed. Some concessions are not completed. The luxury boxes are not completed. That’s a checklist. Again, Our goal is to complete all of those items and play baseball this year,” he said.
According to the agreement reached on Jan. 19, Centerplan owes the city $50,000 for the first late day and $15,000 for each day thereafter and Bronin said on Wednesday that it is "quite likely" that the city would seek those "liquidated damages."
Rudnick said the stadium is 95 to 97 percent done and he sees baseball being played at the stadium this season.
“There’s a baseball stadium here. The field is there. The seats are there," he said. "Railings are in. There are still items that need to be completed, but it’s not as if you can't see a baseball stadium. So for everybody to be standing around saying there’s no way this gets completed, there’s a stadium here.”
Josh Solomon, the owner of the team, said he's ready to keep his $2 million commitment to the team, but wants a firm start date.
“We have a whole host of people who are ready to start working. People who are dependent on these jobs and the delays are just horrible. It’s upsetting. And I’m hopeful that the city can let me know when the ballpark is going to be substantially complete,” Solomon said.
Until then, the team is just waiting and playing at Dodd Stadium in Norwich for now.
“When the city says to me that the stadium is substantially complete, we will bring to the fans that minor league baseball has to offer, but until then all we can do is wait,” Solomon said. “I have been told so many different things that I just want a clear message on when the ballpark is going to be completed.”
City officials are meeting with the Eastern League, Yard Goats and Centerplan officials today as they work on a path forward.
"I hope that the city and the stadium authority are doing everything in their power to ensure we get to play baseball in this ballpark this summer,” Solomon said.
Glendowlyn Thames, a member of the Hartford City Council, said the administration, city council and the stadium need to get together to figure out what the options are to get the stadium done.
“That’s the most important thing at this point,” Thames said.
