The first steel beams went up Tuesday at the construction site that will ultimately become a ballpark in Hartford amid concerns that the project will not be finished in time for next year's opening day.
The gravel pit and construction zone where baseball is supposed to be played next year has visible progress.
The former parking lots now have steel beams rising out of the debris and construction equipment and the mayor says the project is on track for completion by opening day 2016 for the Hartford Yard Goats.
"This is a stadium that will serve as a catalyst for all of the development that will follow," Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra said of the future Dunkin' Donuts Park.
New questions arose Tuesday when the owner's representative made it clear to the Hartford Stadium Authority there are concerns about the completion of the stadium in time for the first pitch.
Jason Rudnick, president of Centerplan and a partner in the Downtown North development, said those concerns are to be expected.
"There are no issues with the delivery for this time frame, April 7, and just like any other job that we’ve worked on that’s had an owner’s representative, I’m not at all surprised that there would be expressed concern. That’s their job," Rudnick said.
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The stadium is the centerpiece of a development that will include restaurants, retail, apartments and a grocery store.
Segarra said it's something that the people in the neighborhood want in order to improve the area.
He described his push for the stadium as "bold" and added that critics of the project don't understand the financial details, which is why they came out so strongly against it.
"You cannot use capital improvement funds to fund city departments. I want them to understand that in order to accelerate the development of Downtown North, we needed an accelerator, and this is it," he said.
He also brushed off the possibility that he may lose his race for reelection. Segarra said he will be at Dunkin' Donuts Park for the first game of Yard Goats baseball and has been assured of first pitch honors.
"This mayor, unless they’re going back on their promises, has already been promised the first pitch," he said.
