NORFOLK
Steve Ballard said this week that his company will deliver the parking garage for Foreman Field's renovation project six months ahead of time.
"We'll open that garage in January," Ballard said as he assessed the status of the $24 million project S.B. Ballard Construction is in charge of. "I get about 10 calls a week, mostly from professors, asking me when that parking lot is going to be back in action. It'll be back sooner than everyone expects."
Ballard said his crews are ahead of schedule in many aspects as Old Dominion University prepares for the addition of a football team to its athletic profile. ODU is adding Division I-AA football - the Monarchs' first game against visiting Chowan is set for Sept. 5, 2009 - and will play its home games at Foreman Field, which is undergoing a major face lift.
A series of skyboxes is under construction in the south end of the facility, with the 750-space parking garage attached to the skyboxes.
Ballard said that within "60 to 90 days," his crews will start sprucing up the existing stadium structure.
"We'll take apart the water proofing and begin repairing some of the concrete slabs that have settled," Ballard said. "Some have sunk several inches over the years."
Once ODU's field hockey and women's lacrosse teams move out of Foreman Field and take occupancy of their new facility on Powhatan Avenue, Ballard's crews will move in. One of its major tasks will be ripping up the old artificial turf and installing the new playing surface.
The existing field has a significant crown of approximately 2 feet to aid in the runoff of water. The new field's crown will hardly be noticeable, with Ballard estimating a 4 -inch rise from sideline to midfield.
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