Surprise, a suburb to the west of Phoenix, plans to continue building a spring training stadium for the two teams, even though the price tag is more than the $45 million the city had planned to spend. Construction costs on the stadium complex, which is going up near Bullard Avenue and Greenway Road, could be approximately $42.5 million, but the cost of the land and development will total $48 million, says City Manager Bill Pupo.

In addition to the rising cost of development, the city has to contend with getting less financial help from the Tourism and Sports Authority, which holds the purse strings on millions of public dollars earmarked for building the Arizona Cardinals stadium and spring training baseball facilities. Surprise was counting on getting $30 million from the TSA, but the authority now says it will only give the city $26 million toward the new facility.

Three other Cactus League teams have leases that expire during the next 10 years, and the TSA needs to set aside some funds to possibly build new facilities for them in the near future, says Ted Ferris, president/CEO of the authority.

The city is looking into ways to reduce construction costs, including not buying as much land as was originally planned, Pupo says. The city borrowed $5.5 million last year for city projects, and that money will be used to build the facilities. Additional money to make up the shortfall will come from an increase in bed taxes and restaurant and bar taxes.

Both teams have been provided the final documents and both have indicated that they are willing to sign them once the City Council formally approves them, he says. The council is expected to vote on the proposal in the next two weeks.

Grading of the site is expected to begin in two weeks. The facilities are scheduled for completion by July 2002. The teams will begin moving from their facilities in Florida after spring training ends in March 2002. The facility will include a 10,000-seat stadium, two clubhouses, administrative office, storage areas, practice fields and parking.