A handful of construction workers spent yesterday at the site of Winston-Salem's new downtown ballpark, though a project superintendent cautioned that full-scale construction would not resume until the financing was in place to pay to finish the baseball stadium.
That financing deal will not close until mid- to late-August, said Angela Carmon, the attorney for the city of Winston-Salem.
The city recently approved another $15.7 million for the stadium, which, including land, is expected to cost $48.7 million.
Fewer than 20 construction workers were at the stadium yesterday, working to control erosion. Construction crews have not worked at the ballpark in months, and over time, rains have washed some of the ground away.
David "Gibby" Gibson, Samet Corp.'s senior superintendent for the ballpark project, said that the crews needed to prevent that soil from running into the city's storm-water-management system. Samet, based in Greensboro, is the general contractor leading construction on the ballpark.
Yesterday, a tractor-trailer carried water pipes to the stadium. The pipes will help manage water runoff.
Gibson said that crews still need to install an irrigation system to manage rainwater on the baseball field. Workers yesterday put some utility boxes in place outside the field to prepare for that.
Yesterday's preparations were a small part of ongoing preparations to get the stadium -- and the people associated with it -- ready for construction to resume.
The members of the citizens stadium oversight committee are scheduled to walk through the stadium on Thursday.
The Winston-Salem City Council created the committee last month as an answer to requests from residents for more transparency about the city's involvement in the stadium.
Between its initial $12 million contribution and the additional $15.7 million approved in June, the city is providing $27.7 million to stadium developer Billy Prim, who has said that private banks would not lend him more money to finish the stadium.
The city is expecting to recoup most of its money through a combination of ticket surcharges and payments by Prim over 25 years.
Prim also owns the city's minor-league baseball team, the Winston-Salem Dash, which will play in the stadium, which is being built at First Street and Peters Creek Parkway.
Gibson said that subcontractors met last week at the half-built stadium to walk through and make sure that materials and equipment that have been sitting unused for months are safe and in working order.
A few other subcontractors -- drywall and heating and air-conditioning experts -- who missed last week's meeting were at the ballpark yesterday to look over their materials.
"We're not back to work yet," Gibson said. "We're basically cleaning today and making sure we're ready to go in a couple of weeks."
■ Laura Graff can be reached at 727-7279 or at lgraff@wsjournal.com.
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