By Roberto Sanchez
Staff writer
By Roberto Sanchez
Staff writer
This could be a long goodbye.
The Milwaukee Brewers, expected to move to a new stadium in west Phoenix in 1997, will have to stay in Chandler for another season.
Roger Brendecke, a Maricopa County Stadium District administrator, said Thursday that the Brewers' new stadium in Maryvale probably will be completed in spring 1998 instead of 1997, as previously planned.
Brendecke said the Brewers, Phoenix, the Stadium District and developer John F. Long agreed to push back the timetable because speeding construction could have increased the cost of the facility at least 15 percent.
Jerry Geiger, Phoenix's deputy director for economic development, said the project has a budget of $18 million, $15 million from the stadium district and $3 million from Phoenix.
Geiger said there was no design team for the stadium until four weeks ago, the first time all the people involved in the project could meet. Geiger said speeding up constnxction at that point would have meant higher prices for all the bids, due to overtime and likely cost ovenuns.
"Thinking that everything could be done by January or February of 1997 wasn't too realistic," Geiger said.
Sal Bando, general manager for the Brewers, said the change in schedule shouldn't affect the team. Bando said that the contract to play in Compadre Stadium in Chandler expires this season, but that the team has five more one-year options. Bando said the team plans to remain at Compadre until the new stadium is fmished.
He wasn't concerned about dealing with the Chandler city government, which deadlocked with the Brewers over improvements to Compa- dre Stadium, a stalemate that led to the Brewers' decision last year to move.
"The county owns the stadium, not the city," Bando said.
Chandler Mayor Jay Tibshraeny said he had heard rumors that the Brewers would be staying in Chandler longer than the team had indicated.
"I guess this shows the Brewers don't move very fast on anything," he said.
Lloyd Harrell, Chandler city manager, said the city would not be affected by the Brewers" plans to stay another season, because no one expected the Brewers to be able to move so soon, anyway.
