LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The A's have unveiled more information about plans for a new state-of-the-art Las Vegas ballpark.
On Thursday, team officials, as well as designers and architects, spoke to a group of about a thousand vendors and subcontractors for a ballpark kickoff event.
We were at the event and here is a look at what we've learned.
When will construction begin and when will it be completed?
A's President Dave Kaval told me that they are preparing for the Drop The Trop event on Oct. 9, which is when the Tropicana will be imploded.
He says the team expects to start ballpark construction sometime in the second quarter of 2025 with the ballpark opening in 2028.
WATCH: Plans outlined for A's stadium as countdown to Tropicana implosion moves forward
How many workers will be on the project?
"We're going to create about 16,000 construction jobs," said Ross Edwards, Senior Vice President at McCarthy Building Companies. He's the principal in charge of the joint venture for the general contractor of the A's stadium. "It's a little bit smaller than Allegiant in size so there's going to be less workers here than there were at that project."
What will workers be paid?
When Gov. Joe Lombardo signed Senate Bill 1, which provides some state funding for the ballpark, into law, one of the stipulations was that businesses must pay workers prevailing wage rates.
You might be wondering what that means.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the prevailing wage rate is defined as the average wage paid to similarly employed workers in a specific occupation in the area of intended employment.
The Nevada Department of Labor tracks prevailing wage rates for public works projects. While the ballpark isn't a public works project, the state document outlines what industry averages are. You can read more about Clark County prevailing wages below.
State of Nevada 2024 Prevailing Wage Rates by jarah.wright on Scribd
How can I apply to work on the project?
Contractors have launched a website with real-time updates on the project.
If you are a small business owner or vendor, you can submit a vendor interest form.
If you are a worker, you can fill out a craftworker interest form.
All of that information is at mmjvlva.com.
When will contractors look at bids from my company?
The same website mentioned above lists dates for when bid documents are granted and when those forms are due.
There are multiple phases of the project and the list of work and bids will be updated in real-time, according to the contractors.
According to the website, contractors are currently accepting some bids, including for plumbing, electrical, and metal roofing work. Those bids are due by Sept. 24.
Will construction affect traffic in the area?
Contractors told me traffic should not be affected when it comes to construction.
"We have a large site to work with. The site overall is over 30 acres and we're only building on nine acres of it," Edwards told me. "If we do our job and we plan out appropriately, we're going to minimize the impacts to the local traffic patterns."
What do we know about the stadium itself?
According to the designers, the stadium will have 30,000 fixed seats with 3,000 additional standing room locations.
There will be six primary levels, which you can see in the photos below.
Will fans be exposed to the heat?
In a word: no.
The designer told us they discussed the climate when putting plans together, which is why there will be a 36,000-square-foot cable-net glass window. Fans will be able to see the Strip without being exposed to triple-digit temperatures.
"Whenever you're designing a place for people to sit and watch a game, you want to just be conscious of the elements and the environment that they're going to be sitting in," said Frankie Sharpe, Senior Architect at Bjarke Ingels Group. The A's ballpark is the company's first stadium project. "You'll be able to see out a giant cable-net glass wall towards the Las Vegas Strip. You'll have clear views looking towards the sky and you'll be protected from the elements year-round creating a spectacular experience for everyone that's playing there, working there, or visiting for an event."
Isn't the ballpark sharing the property with a future Bally's casino?
Yes.
While the details haven't been announced publicly by Bally's, this week, sources close to the situation told me that plans for a casino are still moving forward.
During the presentation on Tuesday, designers explained there are plans for part of the ballpark to connect to the future casino.
"[On the field level], a podium that you can see on the left-hand side here, just under about 40 feet, the future integrated resort will connect at that level and that will be our main concourse level," HTNB officials said. "The first 40 feet will eventually be covered by that resort."
Where are we at with ballpark funding?
In June 2023, Gov. Lombardo signed SB1 into law, which approved $380 million in public funding for the A's ballpark.
This past July, A's executive Sandy Dean said the team only plans on using about $350 million of that money.
The ballpark is expected to cost about $1.5 billion. Like many of you, I wondered where the rest of the money was coming from. I asked Kaval about it on Thursday.
"We're working with the Stadium Authority on the financing plan," Kaval told me. "We have a meeting in October to go over that as well as the other documents that are public and those votes will actually happen in December. So that'll be coming up later this year."
What about the lawsuits filed by political action committees tied to the Nevada State Education Association?
The latest lawsuit to block public funding for the A's ballpark was dismissed on Friday by a Carson City judge.
Strong Public Schools Nevada claimed the funding violated the state constitution.
District Court Judge Kristin Luis dismissed the lawsuit stating the violations couldn't be made "until the challenged financing mechanisms became operative."
You can read the full ruling below.
Carson City Judge Ruling on A's Funding Lawsuit by jarah.wright on Scribd
In May, a lawsuit filed by Schools Over Stadiums, a separate political action committee, lost their case in the Nevada Supreme Court. They were pushing to let voters decide on the issue in a statewide referendum.
I reached out to the NSEA after Friday's ruling and received the following statement.
"Challenging billionaires and politicians for their misguided actions will always be an uphill battle, but this is a fight worth having. We believe the Court made the wrong decision. Educators dedicated to keeping public funds in public schools are the appropriate party to challenge a $380 million stadium giveaway.
This project remains as risky as ever, and the Court even noted the lack of progress on the stadium. Further, the Court did not say whether the stadium deal was Constitutional.
Strong Public Schools Nevada will examine our legal options including a possible appeal, and we will work with Schools Over Stadiums as they consider a referendum in 2026."
As for next steps, Marks told me the union is meeting with attorneys regarding an appeal.
They are planning to file a new referendum in August 2025.
