Sean in New Orleans
July 4th, 2006, 01:48 AM
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e63/Timothy8474/LSU0001.jpg
REBUILDING MOMENTUM Renovations to Tiger Stadium are nearing completion despite having to work through two football seasons and the interruptions of two major hurricanes
Monday, July 03, 2006
By Jim Kleinpeter
BATON ROUGE -- It's not true that recently a time capsule was opened at Tiger Stadium dating all the way back to the beginning of the West Upper Deck renovation.
It only seems like it's been that long.
Yet another completion deadline has been marked on the calendar for the $60 million project, which began at the end of the 2003 season. LSU officials said work crews are expected to be finished by July 29, leaving more than a month for the final trimmings inside before the season opener against UL-Lafayette on Sept. 2.
Several other projects, including replacing of the Tiger Stadium field, parking lot resurfacing, replacing west side chairback seats and the start of construction on baseball and softball stadiums, are proceeding on schedule.
The West Upper Deck project, handled by Yates Construction, was ambitious from the start, and since then crews have worked around two football seasons and two major hurricanes. Originally it was scheduled for completion by the start of the 2005 football season but fell short even before hurricanes Katrina and Rita got in the way.
It was made "habitable" before the football season, but suffered wind and water damage from both storms, further pushing back the completion date.
"This whole thing has been convoluted by the hurricanes and availability of workers," said LSU associate athletic director Herb Vincent. "When the hurricane (Katrina) blew through it changed everybody's world. Now we're just trying to get it done before the season."
Yates is close.
The main project remaining is the installation of a glass wall, which will seal the upper deck and provide a panoramic view to the west. Until the wall is installed and sealed, workers can't put in the carpet, teakwood walls and furniture, and paint.
Part of the reason for the delay was that New Orleans Glass, which provided the materials, went out of business for several months after Katrina. Also, workers for Yates and sub-contractors left to tend to their homes in the aftermath of Katrina.
Vincent said crews have found a way to speed up the process.
"They've found a way to put the glass up while also working indoors," he said. "They've found a way to seal it with plastic to allow some of the work inside to be done before the glass is installed."
Vincent said there has been some renovation inside the facility. The size of the network TV booth was inadequate, so it was expanded. Also, when the Southeastern Conference voted to use instant replay, a replay booth had to be added.
Groundwork around the stadium has been completed. Wooden risers leading to the elevators have been replaced by concrete steps, and the elevators are all working, though some still are being fine-tuned, said Eddie Nunez, assistant athletic director in charge of operations and project development.
"I've ridden on 10 of the 12," Nunez said. "They will all be fully operational by the start of the season."
Nunez said the $147,000 project to replace the Tiger Stadium turf, which took a beating with the addition of four Saints games last season, has gone well. The top six inches of the field were stripped off and large rolls of Mississippi Choice, a derivative of Bermuda grass grown in West Baton Rouge, were trucked in and laid down around the beginning of June.
Before that, the drainage system completely was reworked when trenches filled with gravel were added to facilitate drainage.
"It's going to help drainage tremendously," Nunez said. "The root zone is down three inches already. Over the years, the field had become a sludge of clay, dirt and everything mixed together. The grass had trouble growing."
Another resurfacing job is under way in the Tiger Stadium parking lot. With most of the heavy equipment moved out, workers have begun digging up the old asphalt to create a smoother, more appealing tailgating area.
Included in the plan is a promenade from the corner of Nicholson and South Stadium to the main stadium entrance. The new lot also will be dotted with landscaped green areas and trees.
"We didn't want to have just a sea of concrete out there," Nunez said.
Nunez said the parking lot will be finished in time for the season but perhaps not the landscaped areas. The construction firm handling the project, Arrighi-Simoneaux, is pushing for completion of all aspects by the start of the season, he said.
Those amenities, plus other construction, will mean the parking lot will lose 100 spots, Nunez said.
In addition, work on the softball and baseball stadiums is about to start. Both still are in the design phase, though the earthwork for a berm at the softball field has been completed.
LSU hopes to have a contractor for the softball stadium selected in September and to break ground in October. The schedule for the baseball stadium is about a month behind the softball stadium.
HOK, which has designed 20 major league ballparks and several minor league facilities, is the architect, along with Grayson-Hebert of Baton Rouge.
Practice gyms for the men's and women's basketball teams and an 8,000-square-foot Tiger Gift Center are in the program stage. Architects have not been chosen.
The facilities will be located between the Pete Maravich Assembly Center and the Maddox Field House. The gift center will be between Mike the Tiger's cage and the Bernie Moore Track Stadium.
. . . . . . .
Jim Kleinpeter can be reached at jkleinpeter@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3405.
http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-24/1151906442103650.xml&coll=1&thispage=3
REBUILDING MOMENTUM Renovations to Tiger Stadium are nearing completion despite having to work through two football seasons and the interruptions of two major hurricanes
Monday, July 03, 2006
By Jim Kleinpeter
BATON ROUGE -- It's not true that recently a time capsule was opened at Tiger Stadium dating all the way back to the beginning of the West Upper Deck renovation.
It only seems like it's been that long.
Yet another completion deadline has been marked on the calendar for the $60 million project, which began at the end of the 2003 season. LSU officials said work crews are expected to be finished by July 29, leaving more than a month for the final trimmings inside before the season opener against UL-Lafayette on Sept. 2.
Several other projects, including replacing of the Tiger Stadium field, parking lot resurfacing, replacing west side chairback seats and the start of construction on baseball and softball stadiums, are proceeding on schedule.
The West Upper Deck project, handled by Yates Construction, was ambitious from the start, and since then crews have worked around two football seasons and two major hurricanes. Originally it was scheduled for completion by the start of the 2005 football season but fell short even before hurricanes Katrina and Rita got in the way.
It was made "habitable" before the football season, but suffered wind and water damage from both storms, further pushing back the completion date.
"This whole thing has been convoluted by the hurricanes and availability of workers," said LSU associate athletic director Herb Vincent. "When the hurricane (Katrina) blew through it changed everybody's world. Now we're just trying to get it done before the season."
Yates is close.
The main project remaining is the installation of a glass wall, which will seal the upper deck and provide a panoramic view to the west. Until the wall is installed and sealed, workers can't put in the carpet, teakwood walls and furniture, and paint.
Part of the reason for the delay was that New Orleans Glass, which provided the materials, went out of business for several months after Katrina. Also, workers for Yates and sub-contractors left to tend to their homes in the aftermath of Katrina.
Vincent said crews have found a way to speed up the process.
"They've found a way to put the glass up while also working indoors," he said. "They've found a way to seal it with plastic to allow some of the work inside to be done before the glass is installed."
Vincent said there has been some renovation inside the facility. The size of the network TV booth was inadequate, so it was expanded. Also, when the Southeastern Conference voted to use instant replay, a replay booth had to be added.
Groundwork around the stadium has been completed. Wooden risers leading to the elevators have been replaced by concrete steps, and the elevators are all working, though some still are being fine-tuned, said Eddie Nunez, assistant athletic director in charge of operations and project development.
"I've ridden on 10 of the 12," Nunez said. "They will all be fully operational by the start of the season."
Nunez said the $147,000 project to replace the Tiger Stadium turf, which took a beating with the addition of four Saints games last season, has gone well. The top six inches of the field were stripped off and large rolls of Mississippi Choice, a derivative of Bermuda grass grown in West Baton Rouge, were trucked in and laid down around the beginning of June.
Before that, the drainage system completely was reworked when trenches filled with gravel were added to facilitate drainage.
"It's going to help drainage tremendously," Nunez said. "The root zone is down three inches already. Over the years, the field had become a sludge of clay, dirt and everything mixed together. The grass had trouble growing."
Another resurfacing job is under way in the Tiger Stadium parking lot. With most of the heavy equipment moved out, workers have begun digging up the old asphalt to create a smoother, more appealing tailgating area.
Included in the plan is a promenade from the corner of Nicholson and South Stadium to the main stadium entrance. The new lot also will be dotted with landscaped green areas and trees.
"We didn't want to have just a sea of concrete out there," Nunez said.
Nunez said the parking lot will be finished in time for the season but perhaps not the landscaped areas. The construction firm handling the project, Arrighi-Simoneaux, is pushing for completion of all aspects by the start of the season, he said.
Those amenities, plus other construction, will mean the parking lot will lose 100 spots, Nunez said.
In addition, work on the softball and baseball stadiums is about to start. Both still are in the design phase, though the earthwork for a berm at the softball field has been completed.
LSU hopes to have a contractor for the softball stadium selected in September and to break ground in October. The schedule for the baseball stadium is about a month behind the softball stadium.
HOK, which has designed 20 major league ballparks and several minor league facilities, is the architect, along with Grayson-Hebert of Baton Rouge.
Practice gyms for the men's and women's basketball teams and an 8,000-square-foot Tiger Gift Center are in the program stage. Architects have not been chosen.
The facilities will be located between the Pete Maravich Assembly Center and the Maddox Field House. The gift center will be between Mike the Tiger's cage and the Bernie Moore Track Stadium.
. . . . . . .
Jim Kleinpeter can be reached at jkleinpeter@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3405.
http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-24/1151906442103650.xml&coll=1&thispage=3