SPRINGDALE : Weather exposes ballpark defects
Posted on Wednesday, August 13, 2008
SPRINGDALE — Turbulent spring weather has exposed minor electrical and construction flaws at Arvest Ballpark, but the city of Springdale and the Northwest Arkansas Naturals ballclub say the problems will be solved while the building is still under warranty.
The 120-foot light poles have been struck by lightning at least six times, and heavy rains found all the holes in the ballpark’s roof.
While General Manager Eric Edelstein said the recurring problems have been a headache, he said he’s glad the rains came so the flaws were found sooner rather than later.
“If nothing else, the weather has given us a good test,” Edelstein said.
The latest lightning strike came Saturday. Though the lighting is being properly grounded, it is believed the surge is coming close to wiring housed inside the light poles. The result is the computer that controls the ballpark’s lighting system is thrown off line, and team staff have to turn on the lights manually.
“Sometimes it can be [fixed ] in a couple of hours, but sometimes it takes a couple of days,” Edelstein said of the computer. “You’re not going to stop the lightning from hitting, but you want to stop the problems.”
Martin DiNitto, associate principal of HOK Sport, which designed the ballpark, said additional surge protection devices likely will be added to increase protection for electrical systems. HOK will have to approve any changes.
The ballpark is covered by a one-year warranty, which means problems such as the electrical surge and the leaking roof will be fixed at no additional cost by general contractor Crossland Construction or its designee.
The roof has leaked in the office and in the press box, among other places. That was to be expected since the roof supports the heating, venting and air-conditioning system, Edelstein said. The ballpark also was built in just nine months, so nagging problems were bound to surface as the outdoor facility began weathering the elements.
The baseball park was substantially complete by March 15. Its first home game was played April 10. To date, 320, 996 people have come to Naturals home games this year. With seven home stands remaining, the Naturals hope to break the 350, 000-fan milestone. On Tuesday, the Naturals were five games ahead of their closest rival, the Springfield Cardinals, making a trip to the Texas League playoffs possible. With a playoff berth, the Naturals could host as many as five more home games.
In light of the steady human traffic and intense weather that Arvest has endured, Springdale’s Planning and Community Development Director Patsy Christie is pleased.
“For the most part, the stadium has worked remarkably well,” she said.
Like Edelstein, she’s not too surprised that the light poles have been repeatedly struck by lightning.
“If you look at where the stadium is, it’s in the middle of a field — it’s the tallest thing out there,” Christie said. “We need to get as many things fixed as we can before the warranty runs out.”
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