Stadium architects to get 4 percent increase because of design changes

The architectural firm that designed Columbia’s professional baseball stadium could get about $82,000 more because of design and engineering changes that Bull Street’s project director said kept the facility from running $3.2 million over budget.

City Council is set decide Tuesday whether to approve $82,375 more for Populous Inc. and five of its sub-consultants. If approved, the Kansas City-based firm will receive a total of $2,107,375, or a 4 percent increase, for its design work on the $37 million, year-round stadium.

Design changes caused more work of Populous and its sub-consultants, City project director Gregory Tucker said.

The cutbacks, totaling $3,221,849, were arrived at over several months by trimming the design wish list so that the largely publicly funded stadium would remain within budget. The Columbia Fireflies, a Class A affiliate of the New York Mets, start playing in Spirit Communications Park in April.

“You don’t get all your wishes,” Tucker said of the cutbacks. “This was savings to get it within our budget.”

But the cutback also allowed designers to use brick throughout the stadium rather than a cheaper combination of stucco and brick, he said.

The cutbacks range from $1,200 by installing larger ceiling tiles in the press box to $500,000 in labor costs reductions by simplifying the method of installing concrete, Tucker said.

Other cutbacks include:

▪ $500,000 by canceling a party deck along the first base line.

▪ $318,000 by converting from galvanized steel railings throughout the stadium to powder-coated aluminum.

▪ $300,000 by greatly reducing the amount of drainage gravel behind retaining walls.

▪ $250,000 by canceling three steel-shading structures. “It would be really nice to put everybody under shade, but we couldn’t afford that,” Tucker said.

▪ $75,000 by using brushed concrete in dugouts and lockerrooms instead of more expensive material that better withstands wear and tear of metal baseball cleats.

▪ $60,000 by using granite rather than stainless steel on concession stands tops.