First Batch of Concrete is Poured Tomorrow

[Party]

Marlins announce first foundation pour for new ballpark
08/13/2009 4:17 PM ET
MLB.com

The Florida Marlins announced today that the first foundation pour for the new ballpark will take place tomorrow, August 14 at 10 a.m. (Media is advised to arrive at 9:30 a.m. through entrance off of NW 3rd Street).

Tomorrow's concrete pour will be the first of twelve that will be needed to complete the foundation for all the super columns. There will be approximately 450 different foundation pours that will be held between tomorrow and the end of the project. Those pours will form the foundation for the 12 super columns supporting the roof as well as other load-bearing foundations.

This first construction milestone will take place over an 8 foot deep hole, measuring 40 ft. by 40 ft. A total of approximately 250 cubic yards of concrete will be poured tomorrow morning, with an estimated 60,000 cubic yards being poured in the Marlins New Ballpark all together.

"Tomorrow's first milestone represents the beginning of a new phase for the project," said Claude Delorme, Senior Vice President of Ballpark Development. "Starting the first of 12 foundation pours means that the super columns that support the retractable roof will be erected by this Fall."

The concrete crew at the New Marlins Ballpark will be composed of 25 workers. Contractor Colasanti Specialty Services Inc. will spearhead the foundation work with the help of various Community Small Business Enterprises (CSBE) and Small Business Enterprises (SBE) affiliated contractors.

The concrete mix consists of water, cement, and aggregate with a compressive strength of 6,000 pounds per square inch (psi). The process of pouring concrete started with excavating and dewatering of the grounds. Earth forms are then created in the shape of the foundation and then the reinforcement is set. This process will be completed tomorrow with the placing of the concrete.

The new ballpark's footprint will have a South East orientation, with unobstructed views of Miami's skyline made possible by six operable glass panels. The ballpark will be located on the parcel of land bordered by NW 6th Street to the north, NW 4th Street to the south, NW 16th Avenue to the west and NW 14th Avenue to the east. With a capacity of approximately 37,000 spectators, the retractable roof, air-conditioned ballpark will contain 928,000 square feet on the former Orange Bowl site. The ballpark will celebrate Opening Day in April 2012 and will attract a wide variety of events throughout the entire calendar year.

Leading up to Opening Day 2012, fans can follow the ballpark's progress from a webcam that overlooks the site of the new ballpark. These pictures can be viewed exclusively at www.marlins.com. Click on "Camera Control" to the left of the main image and zoom in and out. You can also click on the archive tab to look back in time. The camera's orientation is from North to South and images are updated every 15 minutes.

Log on to www.marlins.com for more information on upcoming developments.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

http://florida.marlins.mlb.com/conte...3/c6410278.jsp

Looks like it will be this column:

[Marlinsfan4lyfe]

I might shed a tear.

But seriously, i cant believe the construction is starting. Were really gonna have a new stadium.

[Namaste]

Festa cracks me up. The arrow pointing to the exact column is awesome.

[Party]

For your education.

[MiamiHomer]

I'm going to sneak in and put my hand print in the concrete. With the initials MH of course.

[emkayseven]

MH for MattHugg?

[Party]

It has begun:

[emkayseven]

i still won't believe it until a major league game is played in the stadium

[Party]

From Sarah Talalay's blog:

“Starting the first of 12 foundation pours means that the super columns that support the retractable roof will be erected by this fall,” Claude Delorme, Marlins senior vice president of ballpark development, said in a statement.

[Fritz]

Unreal. It is actually happening.

[Party]

1 down, 449 to go.

CBS 4 Report

[Party]

MIAMI -- When tracking the timeline on the building of the Marlins' new ballpark, Friday will go down as a significant date.

That was the day concrete was poured on the 17 acres that will become the team's new home beginning in 2012.

The first concrete to hit the dirt is supporting the southeast column, one of 12 large columns that will hold the retractable roof.

"The great thing about Friday, for me, was as great as it was to get the dirt moving, and the groundbreaking was a great event, but when you start pouring concrete, you have a tangible, visual, real, momentous day that you can look to ... and say, 'That is the day the stadium started to truly take shape.'" Marlins president David Samson said. "That's why there are so many different days I look forward to. The pouring of the foundation is one of them."

Every step in the building of the 37,000-seat stadium, scheduled to open in 2012, can be followed online via the Marlins New Ballpark web cam on www.marlins.com.

Construction of the retractable-roof park on the Orange Bowl grounds began on July 1, and the ceremonial groundbreaking was on July 18, which also was the day the team started a home-game countdown for remaining regular-season games at Land Shark Stadium.

The countdown ceremony takes place in the fifth inning, and started at 194 games. The number stood at 181 after the Marlins wrapped up a homestand on Sunday. This past weekend provided yet another reminder of why the franchise has been so determined to build a new park with a roof: Saturday night's game with the Rockies was rained out, the third home rainout this season.

The Marlins and Rockies played a doubleheader on Sunday, with the two teams splitting the pair. With two games on Sunday, two countdown moments took place. The "Game Countdown" number is displayed on the left-field wall, near the foul line.

"That's an idea that I had that I wanted to start now," Samson said. "With three years to go, there are lot of people who mean so much to the organization. We want to get people excited about the opening of this new ballpark, and time does go quickly. It's going to be 2012 before you know it."

Among those who have taken part in the ceremony are former team announcers Len Kasper and Jon "Boog" Sciambi; Marlins Spanish-language radio announcer Felo Ramirez; and Benito Santiago, the Marlins' Opening Day catcher in their inaugural 1993 season.

"Each individual celebrity gets an opportunity to have his or her picture taken [next to the countdown number]," Samson said. "I send a note to each one, thanking them for participating in the countdown. It really is nice."

At some point, the countdown will include season-ticket holders and corporate partners.

The team has also started an eighth-inning "Fun Fact" feature, which will run until 2012.

"When you look back in 2012, you will have seen 194 [number] teardowns and 200 Fun Facts, and you will see how things have progressed," Samson said.

Included in the new ballpark will be an expansive plaza area, which will feature concession stands and gift shops.

Plans are in the works for the stadium to have a restaurant, accessible from outside the park, that will be open to the public year-round.

"The whole plaza, it's going to be available 365 days," Samson said. "It's going to have a Major League feel when people come to the ballgame."

It hasn't yet been determined what type of restaurant will be the one to be open all year.

For now, the workers will continue pouring concrete, and construction remains on schedule.

"What we have in place right now is called the foundation permit, which is a permit that enables you to pour concrete all over the site, and where the super columns are going to go," Samson said.

The "super columns" are the ones that support the roof.

"Right now, what we're doing over the next two weeks is pouring concrete," Samson added. "I would say we have two outs, and no one on in the top of the first, as far as construction goes. Things are proceeding on schedule. We've had a good start, but there is a lot of game left to be played."

http://florida.marlins.mlb.com/news/...=.jsp&c_id=fla

[Omar]

Hopefully it's an ESPN Zone

[The_Godfather]

It has begun:

Fucking beautiful.