What is at stake?

© St. Petersburg Times,
published November 1, 2001

Although the team has threatened to leave town, the city says too much time and money have been spent on the project already for it to be stopped. The city plans to continue the renovation project with or without the Blue Jays.

"Given the construction completed to date plus all the survey work, geotechnical work, design engineering and the commitment made to purchasing other items, $4-million to $5-million out of the $12-million has been spent," said Doug Hutchens, Dunedin's assistant director of public works and utilities. "The project is at stake, and our relationship with the Toronto Blue Jays is at stake."

Work officially began on the city's Little League facility June 12. Work at the team's Grant Field facility started afterward.

To date the following have been completed:

Dunedin American Little League facility at Fisher Field at a cost of $300,000.

Grant Field is under construction with underground utilities in place as well as concrete floor slabs, structural steel.

Masonry blocks are being set, and work has started on the new ticket booth and elevator shaft to the press box.

The design work for the Englebert Complex, where the team trains, is complete, and surface water permits from Swiftmud have been applied for.

THE DEAL

A contract between the Toronto Blue Jays and the city of Dunedin, signed Dec. 15, 2000, calls for $12-million in renovations to the team's spring training complex. The cost is shared this way:

$6-million from the state

$3-million from Pinellas County

$3-million to be split between the Blue Jays and the city. The team is responsible for $1.87-million while the city is responsible for the remaining $1.13-million.

But about seven months after the contract was signed, the two sides realized that the project as it was first envisioned would cost about $1.5-million more, a total of approximately $13.5-million. Here are items that the team says are necessary but can't be fit into a $12-million budget:

Scoreboard: $150,000

Decorative brick facade: $125,000

Hospitality suite: $142,000

Additional office space: $90,000

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright