Mortenson's Camelback Ranch Project is a Grand Slam

Phoenix, AZ - The first pitch at Camelback Ranch – Glendale, the Spring Training home of the L. A. Dodgers and Chicago White Sox, accelerated at a velocity almost as fast as the project’s construction itself. From the time the Phoenix Operating Group was notified they were awarded the project two years ago, it’s been nothing but forward motion, fast-forward motion.

Earthwork and underground utilities work began December 15, 2007, only 60 weeks before players and coaches moved in and began using all 12 practice fields. The first concrete pour occurred on March 15, 2008, in the Main Stadium, for the outfield wall footings, equating to a mere 48 weeks until players and coaches were expected to move in.

The Mortenson project team and subcontractors worked two daily shifts by adding a night shift for the last 6 months of the project, averaging 650 craft workers the last 4 months of the project. With the “Players Arrive” onsite countdown clock ticking towards 00:00:00, Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO) was achieved on both the L. A. Dodgers and Chicago White Sox Major League Clubhouses literally 42 minutes before the 400 players and coaches moved in and began workouts on Saturday, February 14, 2009 at 8:00 am.

Mortenson completed the project on time with zero time extensions. The project scope included:

• 10,000 stadium seats
• 3,000 lawn seats
• 7,500 vehicle parking
• 12 practice fields, four major league and eight minor league
• Separate clubhouses for the L. A. Dodgers and Chicago White Sox, which include
  • 500+ player lockers
  • four 5,000 SF weight rooms
  • training/therapy facilities and a diet nutrition area
  • a1,300-foot-long lake system with river, which serves a dual purpose as irrigation for fields and site landscaping and aesthetic enhancement to the park, physically separating the two teams' practice facilities, but with interconnecting walkways

Highlights of the project include visits from the Dodgers and Sox owners every couple of months for the project’s duration, a surprise visit from Tommy Lasorda in November 2008 and, the most anticipated highlight, Opening Day, March 1, 2009.