Issue date: 8/28/08 Section: News

The new playing surfaces for two athletic department venues have arrived. Now they just need to be installed.

Rolls of the new artificial turf are sitting in the Stokes Stadium parking lot while bundles of the new wood floor fill the gym in Pershing Arena. After a summer of things going wrong, it looks like things are beginning to return to normal for the athletic department.

The field at Stokes is moving closer to completion and should see game action before the Pershing Arena gym does. Director of Athletics Jerry Wollmering said he has been told the football team might be able to have a night practice Sept. 4 and should be able to host Southern Arkansas University on Sept. 6.

"I actually feel good about it," Wollmering said. "I feel like there is an end in sight."

The project was supposed to have substantial completion by July 18 and full completion by Aug. 2, according to the contract between the University and GeneralSports Venue. University General Counsel Warren Wells said the company is nearly at the significant level of completion.

Because of the delays, GeneralSports Venue is looking at fines totaling more than $77,000.

"The contract provides for what people in the construction business call liquidated damages," Wells said. "It means that there is a certain amount of money forfeited for late performance."

Wells said the contract has three phases of penalties. The first is a $500 fine for every day after July 18 that the field has not reached substantial. Phase two is a fine of $1,500 for every day the field is not complete after Aug. 2. The last penalty is $20,000 for every game that has to be relocated.

"It's all cumulative," Wells said.

Wells said he was unsure how the University would go about getting the money from GeneralSports Venue, but the usual practice involves the client withholding the fees owed by the company when the client makes a payment. Wells also said GeneralSports Venue could choose to fight the fines because so much money is at stake.

The delays forced the athletic department to find a new venue for today's season opener. Instead of playing in Kirksville, the team now will play on a neutral site in Fayette, Mo., at the Central Methodist University football field.

By moving the game, the athletic department now must deal with some new expenses. The team and coaches will have to be bused to the game, and two meals will be provided. Wollmering said the University wouldn't be getting any revenue from the game either. As part of the deal to let the Bulldogs play on their field, CMU gets to keep all of the gate and concession money.

Continued...

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