30 replies to this topic

[mabrowndog]

NOTE - Thread title changed Dec 11, 2010 to cover what will wind up being an 18-month event.




Fort Myers News-Press

QUOTE 9:38 A.M. — The ceremonial groundbreaking for the new Boston Red Sox spring training complex is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 27, 2010, at the site, 11581 Daniels Parkway. That's a little more than a mile east of I-75.

Commissioner Frank Mann will be the master of ceremonies.

The date was selected because the Red Sox will be playing the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg that weekend and Red Sox officials may be able to attend the event.

Preliminary site work on the project has already begun.

The facility is expected to be ready in time for 2012 spring training.

The Red Sox have one more spring training remaining at City of Palms Park, their home since 1993.

Prior ST site threads here, here and here.

Edited by mabrowndog, 11 December 2010 - 02:39 AM.

[CoRP]

It's only a couple of miles from the airport. Great location versus the shit-hole that is my namesake.

[BoSoxLady]

Site prep

It's great to see that site work has begun.

Once we arrive in FL we'll visit the site for periodic updates.

[mabrowndog]

Site prep

It's great to see that site work has begun.

Yeah, nothing gets me pumped for baseball quite like a dump truck, a bulldozer, and an endless expanse of tread-riddled dirt.

[Barbara]

Site prep

It's great to see that site work has begun.

Once we arrive in FL we'll visit the site for periodic updates.

With the requisite pics of course!

[mabrowndog]

All construction bids are now in, and they're $2.7 million above the $75 million budgeted for the project.

Sox fans needn't worry, unless you happen to live in Lee County, FL. The taxpayers there, not the team, will end up picking up the tab.

Nothing will be cut from the budget, however. Lee County Commissioners will meet next week to approve the final numbers and appropriate $2.7 million toward the project.

The new ballpark and training complex, located on Daniels Parkway outside of Fort Myers, is scheduled to open in February 2012.

I'm actually surprised the bids came in that close to the target. I'm used to seeing cost overruns of up to 30% on civic construction projects.

[sachilles]

I can not vouch for Florida, but in the north east, construction bids have been far more aggressive than they have been in years. I would imagine most big construction outfits are pretty hungry for the business.

[BoSoxLady]

We attended the ground-breaking ceremony at the site of the new spring training complex yesterday. Here's a few pics:














Progress!

Edited by BoSoxLady, 05 March 2011 - 09:44 AM.

[C4CRVT]

Pedey seems to have a very close relationship with Tito. It's nice to see him there. He seems like he's going to be a lifer.

[mabrowndog]

What, no cheesy shot of suited executives and county commissioners with gold-plated shovels?

[The Allented Mr Ripley]

Well, it does look like they were going to be celebrating with a bottle of Yellowtail in one of those pics. Nothing but the best.

[Rasputin]

How many players in MLB are shorter than their manager? How many are shorter than their general manager?

[twoBshorty]

How many players in MLB are shorter than their manager? How many are shorter than their general manager?

Well, Tito and Theo are both 6'1", so they're not exactly weenies. Looking at the 40-man, it appears 25% of the players are shorter than them.

[CoRP]

Sox fans needn't worry, unless you happen to live in Lee County, FL. The taxpayers there, not the team, will end up picking up the tab.

And those of us in Collier County that know a little bit about finance are glad we dodged the Cubs spring training facility bullet. We can drive the 20 miles into Lee, watch some games, and drive home to our lower mill rate.

[Lefty on the Mound]

In that drawing above, the parking area doesn't look big enough to accommodate a full house in the stadium. where else will fans be parking? The airport?

[mabrowndog]

In that drawing above, the parking area doesn't look big enough to accommodate a full house in the stadium. where else will fans be parking? The airport?

The six grass soccer fields.

[Lose Remerswaal]

The six grass soccer fields.

And they need six grass soccer fields for . . . ?

[Red(s)HawksFan]

And they need six grass soccer fields for . . . ?

Since this is a county-financed, county-owned facility, so I imagine the county wants to get more use out of it than renting it to the Red Sox for spring training/extended spring training.

[BoSoxLady]

And they need six grass soccer fields for . . . ?

The County folks are claiming they already have a number of soccer tournaments scheduled for 2012. Soccer is so huge in this area that our very own community has a soccer field. We also have a doggie park. Woo hoo!

[SoxFanSince57]

And they need six grass soccer fields for . . . ?

The Globe reported: "The site also includes grass parking lots that will hold approximately 3,325 parked cars. The grass fields will double as public soccer fields when games are not being played."

I take this to mean that the fields will be used regularly as parking lots for the sites. This way no one pays for them to be paved and the community can use them for soccer when no baseball games are played.

My first reaction was "why not LL/BR/Softball fields", but it appears that they are really going to be used as parking lots on a regular basis. So you couldn't/wouldn't use them as ball fields in this day and age (kids are too pampered).

Edited by SoxFanSince57, 06 March 2011 - 04:40 PM.

[Al Zarilla]

Pedey seems to have a very close relationship with Tito. It's nice to see him there. He seems like he's going to be a lifer.

Pretty good one from Tim Kurkjian on ESPN radio this morning about Tito and Pedroia. As part of his ST coverage, he had a bus ride on the Red Sox bus from one ST site to another. He said that in the two hours of the trip, those two were on each other constantly, needling, etc. Tim said he'd never seen or heard of that kind of thing before, about a manager/coach and a player. I got to thinking what the other players might think of this, any jealousy or anything. I doubt it. You see Tito horsing around with Papi also. Tito just has a great way with people. Keep that man happy.

[SoxScout]

Pretty good one from Tim Kurkjian on ESPN radio this morning about Tito and Pedroia. As part of his ST coverage, he had a bus ride on the Red Sox bus from one ST site to another. He said that in the two hours of the trip, those two were on each other constantly, needling, etc. Tim said he'd never seen or heard of that kind of thing before, about a manager/coach and a player. I got to thinking what the other players might think of this, any jealousy or anything. I doubt it. You see Tito horsing around with Papi also. Tito just has a great way with people. Keep that man happy.

Video: BBTN with Tito and Pedroia

[Al Zarilla]

Video: BBTN with Tito and Pedroia

Thanks for the link They invited Paps into their cribbage game? That is hilarious.

[NorthernSoxFan]

I am excited about the new facility, although I have not been to the old one. Replicating Fenway to some extent can only be good- in terms of marketability, tourism, and replicating ballpark conditions for the players and management (in term of evaluation) - and ultimately increased revenue. (In theory prices should drop with the addition of more seating!!) It will also be nice to have a single training complex versus the two sites. Excuse my ignorance having never been before (but planning on going next year). If anyone can add some thoughts as to how things may change, good bad and otherwise, it would be appreciated.

[BoSoxLady]

2012 Spring Training ticket prices

According to the chart, my category of tickets will increase by $4. Not a huge deal but it would be nice if the Red Sox could inform their season tickets of their seat location at the new facility. No information what-so-ever has been provided.

I have pics of the construction progress taken last week during our visit. Will post later today.

[BoSoxLady]

Jet Blue Park pics

[pat3734]

Jet Blue Park pics

Looks like it's coming along nicely. Thanks for posting the pics, Cheri. It's going to be a beautiful park.

[mabrowndog]

The Naples News has a nice article today with more details on the park and the layout. Hat tip to lurker kpls54321 for the link (Thanks, Bill!).

Typically, about 200 workers are on-site daily, Taylor said. Some crews are now digging trenches with backhoes and installing piping for electrical infrastructure. Others have been sealing concrete to prepare walkways and other areas for surfacing and finish work. Workers also have been installing panels on the stadium's awning, which is designed to resemble nearby cypress woods. Some of the awning's supports are set at slight angles to mimic tree trunks in a forest, while the top metal framework undulates like the top of a cypress forest canopy.

The rest of the stadium is designed to look like Fenway Park in Boston. The playing field has the same dimensions as Fenway and a 37-foot wall in left field is designed to resemble Fenway's famous Green Monster. A manual scoreboard once used in Fenway will be brought to the park and installed on the wall. Fronting the stadium, a road currently called Ballpark Road is designed after Yawkey Way in front of Boston's Fenway. A ticket booth area will be surrounded by open space where fans can wander among food, program and memorabilia vendors.

Game lights have been installed around the edges of the complex parking area, which will double as soccer fields when the Red Sox aren't in spring training, Taylor said. The soccer and baseball fields will host local teams as well as regional and national tournaments.

The Red Sox own 20 acres on the site, adjacent to Daniels Parkway. The team's director of Florida business operations, Katie Haas, said firm plans haven't been made so far to develop the property. "We have always discussed mixed-use facilities, shops and restaurants and retail opportunities, for that land," she said. "But right now, we're solely focused on seeing the practice fields completed."

The Red Sox have a seasonal staff of 30 workers who currently operate out of offices in City of Palms Park in Fort Myers, where the team trained until last spring. Once the new stadium is complete, they will have less than one month to move their offices, plus baseball and training equipment from a nearby player development complex.

The team typically brings two semi-truck loads of equipment from Boston each spring, as well. "It's going to be a huge undertaking," said Haas, who visits the new complex about once a week. "But we're very excited and working on all cylinders."

[BoSoxLady]

JetBlue Park

Construction is on schedule and the park has really taken shape.

We'll be in FL early December and you can bet your bippy that we'll be monitoring the completion very closely.

[NorthernSoxFan]

JetBlue Park

Construction is on schedule and the park has really taken shape.

We'll be in FL early December and you can bet your bippy that we'll be monitoring the completion very closely.

That would be great. I don't think we can afford to get out to spring training this year, but any updates (including photos from real people) would be outstanding.

[BoSoxLady]

Seeing that pitchers and catchers report Sunday, I thought you guys/gals would enjoy a chronology of the construction of JetBlue Park at Fenway South through my eyes. The entire complex is tremendous.

February, 2011

February 2011
Ribbon cutting and ceremonial placement of home plate.

August 2011




December 1, 2011



February 2012

Lights above the walkway (sorry about the fuzzy picture)







The view from our new seats.

Edited by BoSoxLady, 14 February 2012 - 02:07 PM.