NORFOLK
If Old Dominion is to open a renovated Foreman Field in August 2019 as planned, it will take two crews working two eight-hour shifts per day.
Test pilings need to be driven as soon as next month, and ODU needs to begin purchasing steel, seats and cement pilings as soon as possible to avoid price increases.
Those are the recommendations of S.B. Ballard Construction in a 127-page bid the company made to ODU to rebuild Foreman Field. Ballard won the contract, and according to records obtained by The Virginian-Pilot under the Freedom of Information Act, it wasn’t a close call.
Seven technical and architectural experts from ODU evaluated bids from Ballard, Barton Malow and Whiting Turner, based on a standard construction rating scale in 11 categories. Ballard had a composite rating of 81.59, while Whiting Turner scored 68.56 and Barton Malow 56.74.
In a separate bid, Moseley and Populous architects won the contract to design the stadium with a composite score of 80.43, better than competitor AECOM and Clark Nexsen (72.79).
S.B. Ballard is owned by prominent ODU booster Stephen Ballard, for whom Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium is named.
Gregory DuBois, ODU’s vice president for administration and finance, who will oversee the project, said, “I have every confidence in every person who participated on that selection committee, and S.B. Ballard was ranked highest. I feel that we got a very good firm.”
DuBois said ODU encouraged contractors to be creative in their bids, but cautioned that not all the things Ballard proposed in his bid will be adopted. For instance, Ballard suggested that 24-hour shifts might be needed as the project deadline nears.
DuBois said ODU plans to work only from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. each day, and if construction extends beyond 5 p.m., it would be “quiet work.”
“We won’t be driving pilings after 5. We’re going to be very sensitive to the university community and surrounding neighborhoods.”
ODU redacted 13 pages of the proposal, claiming an exemption of the FOIA that allows businesses to shield proprietary information.
Stephen Ballard, who was unavailable for comment Wednesday, will work with Moseley and Populous as they design the stadium expansion.
Moseley and Populous, which did a $1.3 million stadium study for ODU in 2015 and 2016, will be paid a maximum of $4,581,369 to design the stadium, according to a contract provided by ODU.
The actual construction price is expected to be $43.6 million. About $7 million more will be spent on “soft costs,” including bond, permitting and inspection fees.
Ballard will be paid a maximum of $1,091,331 to serve as construction manager during the design process. He will advise ODU and the architects on construction pricing as each stage of design is completed.
If ODU and Ballard can reach an agreement on a “guaranteed maximum price,” his firm will construct the $55 million stadium.
Ballard warned in its proposal that rebuilding Foreman Field in nine months will be a difficult challenge.
Plans call for the 81-year-old east and west sides of the stadium to be torn down after the 2018 season and to be rebuilt in time for the Aug. 31, 2019, opener against Norfolk State. The facility would be expanded from 20,118 seats to between 22,000 and 23,000.
“We believe this will require two shifts daily, seven days a week,” Ballard wrote. “This is out of the norm for both the campus and the neighborhood and will require additional communication with all parties involved.”
Working two shifts will add 20 percent to labor costs, largely because of overtime, Ballard wrote. “However, the schedule demands this work contingent.”
Ballard suggested driving 28 test pilings at Foreman Field when this season ends next month to determine how many pilings ultimately will be required, and how deep they must be driven, to support the stadium.
Ballard proposed hiring two different subcontractors to demolish each side of the stadium and that separate contractors also rebuild both sides. Two large cranes would also be used, rather than one.
Ballard also suggested that the current visitors’ locker room, constructed in 2014 for about $500,000, be demolished. Populous and Moseley had recommended that the facility be preserved, but Ballard contends doing so would delay the project unnecessarily.
The locker room had to be built to meet league standards when ODU moved up to the Football Bowl Subdivision and joined Conference USA.
Ballard recommends that demolition begin Nov. 25, 2018, and be completed by Dec. 15. Pilings would be driven to serve as the foundation over 45 days. Work on the actual stadium would begin in February of 2019.
“We believe the only noise or vibration outside of the norm will occur during pile foundation installation,” Ballard wrote.
Ballard suggests that ODU place vibration monitors at key locations to track the effect on the surrounding Larchmont neighborhood.
He said a decision on what kind of seating will be needed will have major impact on costs. The school has proposed replacing about 14,000 seats on the east and west sides with 15,500 chair-back seats.
Ballard wrote that a stadium seat costs between $300 and $650, depending on the quality and comfort.
Also impacting the cost, according to Ballard’s proposal: hurricanes Irma and Harvey. Reconstruction efforts in Texas, Florida and other Gulf states, Ballard wrote, will increase the price of steel 2-3 percent, glass 10-13 percent and copper 14-15 percent in the next six months. Even with an aggressive construction schedule, ODU won’t be able to avoid those price increases, Ballard wrote.
DuBois said some early work on the stadium might occur after this football season.
“We want to locate utilities and really understand what is needed for the site preparation,” he said. “If there’s a little site prep we can get done without disrupting campus or football season, we would consider doing some things.”
Harry Minium, 757-446-2371, harry.minium@pilotonline.com Twitter: @Harry_MiniumVP
