Bid negotiations for Nations Ballpark begin

Negotiations for construction of Nations Baseball Park began after the Newberry City Commission voted unanimously to approve the committee recommendation on April 13.

After swearing in new Mayor Bill Conrad and Commissioners Robert Fillyaw and Jordan Marlowe, the commission held a special meeting to discuss contractors for the baseball facility. The commissioners approved the rankings and authorized City Manager Keith Ashby and City Architect Paul Stresing to enter negotiations with the top bids.

The contractors were ranked based on cost, ability to perform the job and use of local contractors. Edifice Inc. was the lowest bidder, with a baseline bid price of $7,149,000 and its total bid cost including additives such as substitute lighting features and netting system was $7,234,600, according to the bid tab from Paul Stresing Associates, Inc.

The city has allocated $7 million to go toward the park through a bed tax.

“I think our progress is very good, we’ve just got to get that number down,” Ashby said referring to the bids.

Edifice is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, but the company has worked on projects in Florida building movie theaters and schools, said Edifice Marketing Communications Specialist Caroline Floyd.

“Actually, a lot of our beginning projects were in Florida, even though we’re based in Charlotte now,” Floyd said.

Floyd said the company was “thrilled” to be in consideration.

MM Parrish Construction Company, who built the Easton-Newberry Sports Complex, ranked second with a base bid of $7,434,000. The bidding for the park opened April 6.