Kane Co. stadium deal still awaits

They've gone back to the drawing board, but they can't seem to turn a $12 million project into a $5 million one.

Officials from the Kane County Forest Preserve and Kane County Cougars have tweaked the plans but have yet to reach a decision on how the Elfstrom Stadium expansion project will be funded. Bids were solicited on two occasions; during the most recent round last month, the project estimate topped $12.1 million.

The renovation will add a second-level seating area and other amenities to the Geneva ballpark, owned by the forest preserve and leased by the minor-league Cougars baseball team. The forest preserve has committed $5 million to the project.

Forest Preserve Commission President John Hoscheit said that commitment remains the same.

"We're still working on evaluating engineering options to bring the cost in line," Hoscheit said.

But, he added, the final cost is "going to be in the $10 million range."

Members of the forest preserve commission's executive committee spent an hour behind closed doors Friday talking about the project.

"If the project is going to proceed as designed, we need additional funding," Hoscheit said.

One possibility is for the forest preserve to pony up more cash up front and recoup that investment incrementally by increasing the Cougars' rent, Hoscheit said.

A Class A affiliate of the Oakland A's, the Cougars signed a new 20-year contract with the forest preserve district last year stipulating their commitment to pay the district nearly $1 million a year to rent Elfstrom. The stadium renovation plans were negotiated as part of the deal.

Both sides hope to finish renovations on the 16-year-old ballpark in time for the start of the 2009 season. The project already has been delayed once.

Officials from the forest preserve and the ballclub talk daily about how to move the project forward, Hoscheit said.

"I'm fairly confident we'll know within the next 30 days where we're going," he said.