RSS Feed
Print Story
E-mail Story
New field project lining up
Builders hoping for additional donations
| Tuesday, Jul 8 2008 11:29 PM
Last Updated: Wednesday, Jul 9 2008 8:53 AM
The construction of the first baseball field for Cal State Bakersfield's newest athletic program begins Monday.
BAKERSFIELD.COM HOT TOPICS:
Loading Stories
Advertisement
That's the word from Joe Colombo of Colombo Construction Co., a member of CSUB's baseball advisory committee who is responsible for coordinating the construction of the Roadrunners' baseball practice facility.
Colombo estimated that construction should be completed in about 15 weeks, or the latter part of October.
CSUB is starting a baseball program this fall. Roadrunners' coach Bill Kernen said he plans on having a handful of practice games in the fall, with the first regular season schedule beginning next February.
Plans call for the practice facility to host CSUB's home games until a new stadium is built.
In preparing for the groundbreaking scheduled for Monday, Colombo said the land will be watered down this weekend.
"We're going to have a quality facility," Colombo said. "We're looking to go first class."
Colombo estimated the value of the project at $1.5 million and is planned for an area nearly seven acres in size to the west of Roadrunner Drive, the south entrance to the campus off Camino Media Avenue behind The Marketplace.
He said about $750,000 worth of materials and labor will be donated or done as trade-outs, leaving the need for between $700,000 and $800,000 in cash to pay for miscellaneous items that are not expected to be donated.
Colombo said the project has about $250,000 in cash now.
"The question is: Do we think we can raise it? Yeah, I do," Colombo said of the additional needed funds.
Some of the more expensive items where cash is needed are electrical cable ($100,000), sod ($43,000), concrete materials ($50,000) and the surface used for the infield ($77,000), Colombo said.
"The cable alone is probably going to cost $100,000. That doesn't include the conduit or getting it installed," Colombo said. "That's probably the biggest item."
About 1,200 feet of cable is needed to link the project to a existing transformer. Colombo said a new transformer is planned.
Also, a water line will need to be laid since the practice field site currently has no water available.
Plans call for the infield surface to be identical to what's used at Dodger Stadium, Colombo said.
"These (items) are from people who are not in Bakersfield, so we're not expected to have that stuff donated," Colombo said.
Costs will be lower if labor is donated, Colombo said. "But if you're paying for it, and you're on campus, you must pay prevailing wages."
He acknowledged that is an expense of the project that can only be estimated at this time.
"That will be an issue," he said, adding it isn't something that can be avoided. It's a cost of doing business, he said.
In early May, local contractors and construction company personnel were invited to a meeting where plans for the practice field were laid out and contributions for the project were sought.
At that time, Colombo said ideally the project would begin by May 15 but acknowledged that was an unreasonable goal. But the mid-July start-up is significantly later than hoped for at that meeting.
"The consultants have been responsive, the university has been great," Colombo said. "A big part of it (the delay): I have a full-time job. Some things didn't get going as fast as we'd hoped.
"This takes a lot of time, especially when you're getting things donated."
He added: "You can't blame the university. If you've got to blame anyone, blame me."
The most important thing is to build it right, Colombo said.
"We've got to have a first-class facility. If you don't, you'll lose recruits," he said.
An important part of the practice facility is a pitching and hitting tunnel, an enclosed, lighted facility that Kernen said is crucial for quality practice time.
That portion of the project is unlikely to be completed by late October but should be in place by the end of the year, Colombo said.
Other aspects of the facility:
* A small parking area is planned.
* It will not be lighted, although wiring will be laid to support lights in the future.
* A small sump currently in what will be left field will be filled in. A larger sump, required to handle storm water, is planned north of the facility and south of Student Way, the winding, western-most entrance to the campus off Stockdale Highway.
* Long-range plans call for a stadium, which is projected for 12 acres and located south of the practice facility. That will require a separate fundraising event, Colombo and CSUB officials have said.