Stadium completion is nip and tuck

Finishing touches done at last minute Thursday

Friday, May 2, 2008

Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photoby GARY SMITH Michael Bernacchia of The Cleaning Company pressure washes seats, railings and walkways at Regency Furniture Stadium Thursday, as scores of workers make concession deliveries, install signs and prepare for tonight’s Southern Maryland Blue Crabs home opener. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

The stadium site was crawling with construction crews a day after contractor Skanska USA Building Inc. issued a statement declaring the project complete.

As of 9 a.m. Thursday, crews were still busy finishing landscaping and doing last-minute painting. The entrance to the stadium was cluttered with construction materials and equipment. The parking lot, which was not part of Skanska’s contract, was still undergoing paving and striping.

‘‘We’re ready to slide into home base,” said George Clarkson, press secretary for the Charles County commissioners. However, Clarkson conceded that the stadium was ‘‘not as done as [the county] would like it to be.”

Still, two commissioners who visited the site Wednesday expressed confidence that the facility would be ready on time.

‘‘I was very impressed,” Commissioner Gary V. Hodge (D) said Thursday morning. ‘‘I thought the facility really sparkled last night.”

Hodge praised the small details that crews were finishing, such as the trees and the landscaping and the clear, colorful signs.

‘‘Last night gave me the confidence that we’ll be done on time,” Hodge said. ‘‘I’ve never seen a better crew. The place is a beehive of activity, but everyone knows their jobs.”

Commissioner Reuben B. Collins II (D) also surveyed the project Wednesday, and, on Thursday, declared, ‘‘It’s going to be open.”

The project might have come down to the wire, but one key element rapidly came together in the last two days. The southern half of Piney Church Road reopened to public traffic from Billingsley Road on Wednesday evening after being closed since September 2007.

County Administrator Paul W. Comfort predicted Tuesday that the road would re-open Wednesday. As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, the road entrance was still closed, and crews were laying asphalt. However, the road was open the next morning. Crews still have work to do in completing the Piney Church Road and Billingsley Road intersection, which was now closed to traffic from the north side of Piney Church Road Wednesday at about 3:30 p.m., but was open Thursday morning.

Traffic worries abound

Even with the new road improvements, the traffic for today’s game could still overwhelm local roads. But the Charles County Sheriff’s Office said it is ready to handle the rush.

Working with Maryland State Police, the sheriff’s office will station officers at five key intersections starting at 4 p.m. Officers will monitor intersections at U.S. 301 and Billingsley Road; St. Charles Parkway and Billingsley Road; Route 5 and Billingsley Road; Piney Church Road and Billingsley Road and Piney Church Road and Route 488.

‘‘Officers will monitor these intersections during both the arrival and departure of the ballpark visitors. We do not anticipate major problems and will intervene in traffic control only when and if it becomes necessary,” a sheriff’s office statement reads.

The sheriff’s mobile command post will be stationed at the ball park, and officers will patrol the stadium site on ATVs. Officers will also monitor Piney Church Road for illegal parking.