Baseball Opening Day in Hartford Approaches

First pitch at Dunkin' Donuts Park is a mere 58 days away.

Construction crews have been working each day to make sure the park is ready for baseball, after the entire 2016 was lost, due to construction delays and tension between the City of Hartford, and previous developer, Centerplan, which was fired last June.

“As I’ve said all along the way, until that first pitch is thrown out, I’m not waving any banners but I think they continue to make very good progress and it continues to be a good strong partnership between the city, Arch Insurance, and the contractor Whiting Turner," said Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin.

Centerplan now faces a new lawsuit from Webster Bank. In court documents, the Waterbury-based Webster alleges Centerplan has defaulted on more than $5 million in loans split between a term loan, and a construction loan specifically linked to the baseball park construction.

The ballpark was initially supposed to be ready for April 2016, but it was later delayed to May, before eventually being fired by the city.

Centerplan later sued the city for wrongful termination.

NBC Connecticut's efforts to reach Centerplan's attorney were unsuccessful.

Mayor Bronin says he's not shocked Centerplan faces a new legal fight.

“I suspect Centerplan is going to be embroiled in a number of lawsuits for a while,” he said.

The Yard Goats played the entire 2016 season the road. Team officials say they can feel the momentum building with just two months to go.

"People are talking about how excited they are for baseball to be played in Hartford," said Yard Goats General Manager Tim Restall. “As you drive by the ballpark you see a lot of construction going on. They’re wrapping things up which is great. They’re round third and heading for home.”

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