Veterans Park Behind Schedule
Last updated Wednesday, November 12, 2008 11:51 PM CST in News
By John Henley Jr.
THE MORNING NEWS
ROGERS - Renovation at Veterans Park will likely not be complete by Jan. 2, the contracted date of completion, according to the contractor. As a result, high school baseball and softball will likely not be played at the park when the season starts in February.
Bossler Contracting Inc. was awarded a contract for renovation of the park in March after submitting a low bid of $2,116,000.
Thomas Montgomery, a project manager with Bossler, said fields won't even be ready for the teams from Rogers High School and Rogers Heritage High School to practice on until "the first of February." Practice often starts when students return from winter break although it often is indoors because of weather.
Work at the park was to be completed in 270 days and there are 51 days left to complete the renovation, according to the contract. The city has paid Bossler $678,969.54, said Jerry Hudlow, city treasurer.
The ballfields need to be ready by Jan. 5 for the schools' baseball and softball teams to practice, said Rick Stocker, director of the Rogers Parks and Recreation Department.
Stocker said the two softball teams can practice at Northwest Park, but there is only one field in Rogers large enough for the baseball teams to practice, Stocker said.
Mark Holderbaum, athletic director for the Rogers School District, did not return a message left on his cell phone on Wednesday.
Montgomery said some of the problems with the project involve subcontractors who did not fulfill their obligations and were replaced. Some of the subcontractors have gone out of business since the project began, he said. All but the electrical contractor have been replaced and Montgomery expected to sign that contract on Wednesday.
Bossler also has had to contend with rain delays.
Montgomery said he has not figured how many total days rain prevented work at the site, but there were eight days in August when contractors could not work because of rain.
Rainfall is only part of the equation, said Jim Mayer, a principal with JKJ Architects, the firm that designed the renovation. If it rains too much, then work must be suspended for a few days, he has said.
Contract deadlines are extended by the number of days contractors cannot work because of rain, but Mayer said Bossler is responsible for reporting those days.
"They have to get it submitted within a timely manner, so I told them seven is what we'll go with," Mayer said of the days Bossler has claimed thus far. Mayer said, however, the company could claim more rain days if weather prevents work before the project is completed.
At A Glance
Renovation At Veterans Park
The $2.1 million project at Veterans Park involves renovating four fields for both Rogers high schools - two baseball and two softball - as well as two concession areas with hospitality rooms and two sets of public restrooms, one for each high school. The bid also included dugouts for each field with restrooms, four press boxes and covered bleachers for each field.
The $2.1 million does not include $700,000 for lights, grass and outfield fencing, which the city was responsible for, Stocker said. The grass has been sown and the lights are up, Stocker said. Only the fences remain and they cannot be put up until the rest of the renovation work is complete, Stocker said.
Source: Staff Report
By The Numbers
How Much Rain?
Rainfall during the contract period (in inches):
• April 7-30 7.47
• May 4.50
• June 6.10
• July 2.95
• August 5.22
• September 6.49
• October 1.72
• Nov. 1-11 2.11
• Total 36.56
Source: Staff Report
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riptide wrote on Nov 13, 2008 8:13 AM: