Crews swing into action for repairs at Chase Field
Workers have begun tearing apart seat sections at Chase Field as part of repairs to the Phoenix stadium during baseball’s off-season. Money for the repairs comes from a combination of rent the Arizona Diamondbacks pay to use the stadium and proceeds from other events such as concerts.
Construction workers have begun tearing apart seat sections in the lower deck at downtown Phoenix’s Chase Field as part of ongoing repairs to the popular venue during baseball’s offseason.
A crane is used to lift huge concrete chunks out of the seating deck to make room for workers to replace steel rebar.
Maricopa County plans to spend nearly $4 million this year on the project that began in 2011.
An additional six to eight years of work remain, Stadium District Director Daren Frank said. In total, the county has so far spent about $20 million on concrete and steel.
The repair money doesn’t come from taxpayers. It is a combination of rent the Arizona Diamondbacks pay to use the stadium and proceeds from other events at the venue such as concerts.
But taxpayers might have to cough up a lot of money for additional repairs if the team prevails in a lawsuit seeking up to $187 million in other stadium upgrades.
The damage the county currently is fixing is believed to have come from years of power washing of the stands by the team, and a type of modular stadium construction that Frank said creates more places for water to seep into, causing concrete-reinforcing steel to rust.
The Diamondbacks argue the stadium is no longer up to Major League Baseball standards. Frank and other Maricopa County officials say repairs now underway are pre-emptive and the stadium is safe.
Three Valley-based companies are involved in the stadium construction project: project engineer Gervasio & Assoc. Inc., general contractors Caliente and Jokake Construction, and subcontractor Restruction Corp.