City Looking At Ballpark Problem

SPRINGDALE — Rain can do more than delay or wash out a baseball game at Arvest Ballpark.

Rain has been finding its way inside a building at the ballpark, owned by Springdale. Officials said the problem needs to be fixed soon.

“We are having people look at it to determine the extent of the problem and what repairs need to be completed,” said Mayor Doug Sprouse. “We need to get this done in a timely manner.”

The Texas League season opens April 5 for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, which leases the ballpark from the city. The first home game is April 12.

Rain has been seeping through a native sandstone wall to the right of the main entrance behind home plate.

The Naturals have contacted Populous, the architecture company that designed Arvest Ballpark. Populous was formerly HOK Sport Ventures.

A representative from Populous has looked at the situation, said Eric Edelstein, Naturals general manager. The company is comparing what was built with the original design, Edelstein said.

Populous officials also have talked to Crossland Construction, Edelstein said. Crossland built the stadium during a 10-month construction schedule running from 2007 to 2008.

Crossland has not been officially notified, said Chris Schnurbusch, a vice president of the company.

“We’d be glad to help with any problem,” Schnurbusch said.

Any determination of who would pay for the repair would have to be made after consulting the building contract and the design plans, Schnurbusch said.

An official notice of the problem will be sent to Populous and Crossland, said Jeff Harper, city attorney.

The ballpark has a five-year warranty that might cover the problem, said Wyman Morgan, city director of administration. The city took possession four years ago.

“That’s why we need to do this in a timely manner,” Sprouse said. “Before any warranties run out.”

Edelstein said, “The representative from the architects said we were within the notification time, if it is something covered by the warranty.”

The first sign of the problem was water leaking down the side of a stairwell behind the wall.

“It’s been going on since day one,” Edelstein said. The Naturals, a Kansas City Royals minor league affiliate, have played four seasons in the ballpark.

Additional caulking seemed to slow the problem, but leaks continued when it rained. In the winter, water in the sandstone would freeze and pop bits of rock off the wall, said George Sisson, the Natural’s director of stadium operations.

The team brought the problem to the Springdale Public Facilities Board. The board oversees the maintenance of the ballpark.

Rick Barrows, a board member and president of a construction company, recommended getting a company that specializes in water sealing to look at the problem.

Sisson told the board two companies looked at the wall and found mortar missing between the rocks in the wall. The wall may have been inadequately sealed, he said.

“We have a pretty wide range of ideas on how extensive the problem could be,” Sprouse said.

Sandstone was used extensively as a veneer on many of the park’s buildings.

“We need to check it all,” said Rex Bailey, board member. “I only saw mortar missing in a couple of places, but we have to get it fixed.”

The problem is not as bad as some think, Edelstein said.

“Nothing is falling apart,” Edelstein said. “The ballpark is in great condition, outside of a problem or two. I don’t think it will cost that much to fix this.”

Other problems that have come up have been covered by insurance, Morgan said. Those include lightning damage and some water damage in the rented suites.

The water damage, to carpets and drywall, was caused by back-to-back heavy, wind-driven rain that came from the east, Morgan said. The water seeped in under the wall that folds up to open the suites to the field.

“It was two very unusual rainstorms,” Morgan said. “We don’t get rain being blown from that direction. Repairs should be finished by the first game.”