Though a late summer heat wave raised temperatures across the Hudson Valley last week, the temperature at Dietz Stadium was decidedly mild after a detente between Kingston Mayor Steve Noble and Kingston City School District (KCSD) Superintendent Paul Padalino.
“I was pleased to tour the current construction work with Dr. Padalino,” said Noble in a September 7 press release. “We are working together to see that this project is moving forward expeditiously. It’s heartening to see all the work that is already happening, and to discuss with the construction crews their schedule moving forward. We are confident that this project is progressing in a timely and organized manner, and I know the public will be pleased with the result — this complex is going to be a valuable improvement for both the school and the entire community.”
Noble and Padalino toured Dietz last week along with project manager Jack Schoonmaker to get a sense of the progress made since work got underway in late June.
“The construction progress is encouraging,” said Padalino in the September 7 press release. “The school board and I are happy to continue this partnership with the city. The district is excited to get our students back on the field they call home with all the upgrades this project will offer.”
Tensions between Noble and Padalino peaked in mid-August, with the board of education voting unanimously to seek an extension to extend their rights to withdraw from an inter-municipal agreement signed in October 2019 authorizing the city to oversee the renovation project as a means of tapping into $2.5 million of state Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) funding. District officials and trustees expressed concerns about, among other things, not having a say in potential cost overruns on the project.
But the common council’s laws and rules committee held a meeting on Wednesday, August 30, where it was agreed that representatives from the district and board of education will now be invited to common council meetings where funding increases for the project are sought, and officials with both the city and KCSD expressed satisfaction with the arrangement.
“The mayor and I have been communicating a lot through this whole process,” Padalino said in an interview with Hudson Valley One on Friday, September 8. “But I think that meeting with the mayor, and the (school) board meeting with the common council, I think we’re all on the same page and we’re going in the right direction.”
The work area at Dietz Stadium is enclosed in fencing, with both the snack shack and brick administrative building demolished. The track surface has been removed, along with interior fencing, shrubbery and overgrowth. The scoreboard and field lighting have also been removed. Asphalt paving on the site has been pulled up and milled for reuse.
“It was good to go over there and see all the work that’s being done,” Padalino said. “So hopefully next year this time we’ll be playing on a brand new Dietz Stadium. I was actually really surprised how much they have done so far. Hopefully we’ll have a mild winter like we did last year and we won’t have any issues.”
The next project phase includes asbestos abatement of the grandstand ahead of interior demolition and remodeling. Earthwork will also get underway to create a practice field behind the visitor’s bleachers.
The improvements to Dietz Stadium and Andretta Pool currently have a budget of $26 million, though the portion of the project relating to the stadium is estimated to cost $21.5 million. Three million of that will be covered by grant funding, with the city and school district sharing around $19 million in costs.
The City of Kingston and the Hudson Valley Building and Construction Trades Council on behalf of itself and affiliated unions have entered into a Project Labor Agreement for the project. Poughkeepsie-based OCS Industries, Inc. is handling site construction; LaGrangeville-based Darlind Associates, Inc. is tackling general construction; Poughkeepsie-based Dynamic Systems, Inc., formally C.B. Strain, are covering mechanical and plumbing construction; and Kingston-based J&J Sass Electric, Inc. are on electric construction.
To keep up to date on the Dietz Stadium project, visit: https://engagekingston.com/dietz-stadium-improvements.
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