No one steps forward for Elfstrom renovations
The Kane County Cougars will have to wait another year for a bigger and better home.
No contractors bid on the Elfstrom Stadium project, telling Kane County Forest Preserve officials there simply isn't enough time to order materials and complete the project by Opening Day 2008, forest preserve commission President John Hoscheit said Friday.
The new goal is to finish renovations in time for the start of the 2009 season, Hoscheit said after the commission's executive committee meeting.
"At this point it looks like going forward this off-season is not going to happen," said Hoscheit, a St. Charles Republican.
Cougars Vice President/General Manager Jeff Sedivy said ball club officials are disappointed but remain committed to the project.
"I know it's going to be disappointing to our fans, but from my standpoint it is a project that will get done. It's a project that must get done," Sedivy said.
The postponement is the latest in a series of hiccups related to the project. The 16-year-old Geneva ballpark is owned by the forest preserve and leased by the Cougars minor-league baseball team, a Class A affiliate of the Oakland A's.
When officials approved the expansion project in 2006 they hoped to open the renovated stadium at the start of 2007 season. But that deadline soon proved elusive, so a 2008 opening was planned.
Last month, officials announced the project would be rebid after cost estimates came in twice as high as expected. Bids from construction managers and subcontractors totaled $11 million, more than double the $5 million budgeted by the forest preserve.
The process was restructured using a general contractor format instead of the construction manager format originally used. Officials from the forest preserve and the ball club hoped that would cut costs because subcontractors would submit costs directly to each general contractor.
They also tweaked the plan, replacing some materials with cheaper alternatives and undertaking other "value engineering" work designed to bring down the cost.
Twelve companies requested information packets but none submitted bids by the Aug. 31 deadline.
Several construction managers told forest preserve officials they could not finish the project by the spring of 2008 because they were either committed to other commercial projects or they didn't think steel and other building materials would arrive quickly enough.
The expansion will add 18 suites and two general seating areas, restrooms, a concession area, administrative offices and an expanded box office to the stadium. The improvements were negotiated as part of the Cougars' 20-year agreement with the forest preserve.
Forest preserve commissioners plan to sell $5 million in bonds to fund the project. Extra costs would be funded by the Cougars.