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Oct 29, 2009 12:59 pm US/Eastern
Hard Hat Tour: Marlins Stadium At 100 Days
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
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Several of the super columns which will support the retractable roof at the new stadium.
CBS
Grab your hard hat. The Florida Marlins hosted a hard hat tour of the new Marlins Ballpark in Miami. While it's far from being ready for the first pitch, the ballpark has come a long way just 100 days after construction began.
The Florida Marlins broke ground on the new 37,000 seat stadium in mid-July. Since then, the new stadium has been slowly coming to life ahead of its opening day in April 2012.
The stadium is being built one beam at a time. So far, construction has focused on erecting the north track super columns which will support the retractable roof. At approximately 130-feet in the air, the north track super columns have now been topped out and new construction phases are in the works.
"These are the four main columns for the north side and they are the basis for the entire operable roof system. They climb the height of 138 height," said Sid Perkins, a Hunt Moss contractor.
The retractable roof was always a priority for the Florida Marlins.
So was the Southeast orientation of the diamond which takes into consideration the sun and the shade. The stadium will also have unobstructed views of Miami's skyline made possible by six operable glass panels.
Getting to this point hasn't been easy for the Marlins. For years, county and city leaders struggled with the idea of finding funding for the new stadium, so as not to overburden the local taxpayers. Deals came and went until in the last year, a deal agreeable to both sides was struck and passed by the city and county commissions.
Now those involved say they are living up to what was promised.
We've had a very strong local presence, so far 61-percent of the firms are local, are from Miami-Dade County, we had a responsibility in our deal to do a 35-percent goal and we are tracking right now over 61-percent," said Claude Delorme Sr., V.P. Ballpark Development.
The ballpark will be located on the parcel of land bordered by NW 6th Street to the north, NW 4th Street to the south, NW 16th Avenue to the west and NW 14th Avenue to the east. With a capacity of approximately 37,000 spectators, the retractable roof, air-conditioned ballpark will contain 928,000 square feet on the former Orange Bowl site.
Since the Marlins inaugural season in 1993, the team has shared Dolphin Stadium, now called Land Shark Stadium, with the Miami Dolphins. The team believes a retractable-roof facility will help draw more fans during South Florida's hot and rainy summers.
The team, which won World Series titles in 1997 and 2003, will be renamed the Miami Marlins when the new stadium opens in April 2012.
Click here to follow the ballparks progress from a webcam that overlooks the site of the new ballpark.
CBS4'S Marybel Rodriguez contributed to this report.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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