Fayetteville baseball stadium may not be ready for soft opening

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Woodpeckers are ready to play ball but will their home stadium be ready to receive curious fans during this weekend's soft opening?

That's the big question that city leaders demanded that Segra Stadium contractors answer.

"We are accountable to the citizens of Fayetteville and so our Baseball Committee has monitored this process and sometimes that gets heated and spirited, and we will continue to ask the tough questions and to make sure all parties are on the same page and understands the seriousness of this matter," Mayor Mitch Colvin said.

How serious? The city said the contractors will have to pay up if the stadium is not complete.

That would be $1,000 per day and $50,000 per game that Segra Stadium is not ready for fans.

On Wednesday, city inspectors were in and out of Segra -- hoping to grant a temporary occupancy permit by Friday, but say all of that depends on how safe and clear the construction site will be.

Though this weekend's event was never a grand opening, leaders were hoping the stadium would be further along for fans to see.

"Well, they'll expect to come in and have some limited access to the facility and have a great time as far as being able to see what it is they've been hearing about over the last year and half," Colvin said.

The contractor, Barton Malow did not return phone calls to ABC11 before publication of this report.

As for the home opener on the 18th, The Woodpeckers say Segra Stadium will definitely be complete by then.