Charles stadium bid still over budget

Officials said they expect to break ground on the stadium, which will be built on a 43-acre parcel in the St. Charles neighborhood of Waldorf, by late June or early July. The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the independent Atlantic League would begin play next spring in Regency Furniture Stadium, which will be owned by the county.

‘‘We made a judgment that $8.5 million in county funds to own outright a facility that’s worth almost $26 million is a good investment in the quality of life of the county,” said Charles County Commissioner Gary V. Hodge (D), defending the approval of the project.

Discussions to bring professional baseball to Southern Maryland began almost five years ago, following a failed effort to lure a team in the mid-1980s. Officials initially estimated the stadium’s construction would cost $15.75 million, a number that has since ballooned due to the rising cost of construction materials and the project’s relocation.

Residents of the first site in Hughesville, concerned that a ballpark would destroy the rural character of their onetime tobacco-growing town at the center of Southern Maryland, drove officials to build the stadium elsewhere.

After the Waldorf site was identified, the county, state and a private baseball investor, Opening Day Partners, agreed to contribute $7 million apiece for the project. The bid award puts the state share at about $8.7 million, while the county and team owner will pay about $8.5 million.

Commissioners were told that skybox and advertising revenues, as well as ticket and merchandise sales, would defray all local expenses. The county has signed a concession agreement with the team owner that guarantees at least $250,000 in annual revenues for at least 20 years.

Officials envision the stadium, which is being billed as a multipurpose entertainment venue, becoming a centerpiece for community activities and business events. It is also being designed to accommodate other sporting events, including football, soccer and lacrosse.

‘‘You need the anchor to build the complex, but beyond that our opportunities for using that space are only limited by our imagination,” Hodge said.

Skanska made a number of changes to reduce costs, including moving half of the stadium’s 16 luxury boxes from the upper deck to the concourse level and relocating the press box downstairs, which eliminated an elevator and a food preparation area. The field will also be lowered, reducing the amount of earthwork that needs to be done.

‘‘The community’s going to get the stadium that they had hoped to get,” said Peter Kirk, chairman of Opening Day Partners.

The construction bid includes nearly $1 million in contingency funds and stipulates that the cost cannot exceed $19.25 million.