In a League of Their Own

Caryn Huff and Melanie Lenz help bring baseball back to Charlotte County.

“And, just as in baseball,” said Caryn Huff, project manager for Charlotte County’s $28 million renovation of the Charlotte Sports Park, “there’s no crying in construction, either."

“I would joke with the guys working for me if they complained about something, that ‘there’s no crying in construction.’ I’m sure it sounded funny coming from a woman. But, I loved it.”

Apparently, the Associated Builders and Contractors loved it, too, because the Charlotte Sports Park project — home to the Tampa Bay Rays’ spring training and Charlotte Stone Crabs’ regular season games — recently won the organization’s prestigious Eagle Award from the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter.

The award is a premiere competition within the construction industry, recognizing outstanding projects across the nation. It actually went to the park’s general contractors, Hunt Construction Group, Inc. of Tampa and Mathews/Taylor Construction LLC of Punta Gorda. The firms joined forces for the Sports Park project as Hunt Mathews/Taylor Construction Company.

The award has shed light on a little known fact: most of the mammoth renovation project was spearheaded by two gutsy, young, professional women who were ready to step up to the plate and meet the challenge.

The Women in Charge

Huff represented Charlotte County as the project manager. The other woman is Melanie Lenz, vice president of development for the Tampa Bay Rays’ organization. She represented the Rays as project manager.

Huff’s educational background in both architecture and building construction — she has a B.S. from Auburn University — gave her the foundation necessary to compete in a big league project such as this. Over the past 20 years, she has worked for both architects and contractors and was more than ready to lead one of Charlotte County’s biggest construction projects. Her previous stints included the Boca Grande Resort renovation as well as several condominium projects on Manasota Key.

Never one to bunt when faced with a challenge, Huff proved eager to show her stuff when she was chosen by her superiors to manage the stadium project from start to finish. It would be her job to protect the county’s and public’s best interests during what became a 17-month long construction period.

“Many teams are trying to renovate similar facilities, and they’re in the $45 million to $60 million price range. What we accomplished with our $28 million budget required a lot of tough decision-making and tight budgeting. But, thanks to a tremendous team effort, and a lot of God’s grace, we made it happen,” Huff said.

She credits the Rays’ organization for their good will, patience and cooperation, but says it was the internationally renowned architectural firm, Populous (formerly HOK Sport) of Kansas City, Mo., and Hunt Mathews/Taylor Construction that created the vision for the park’s fantastic amenities.

“Both Populous and Hunt are famous for designing and constructing sporting facilities. Melanie and I were fortunate to be able to work with them,” Huff said.

However, she was quick to note that right from the beginning, both she and the Rays’ organization (represented by Lenz) were adamant about using local subcontractors as much as possible. “Even though Hunt is headquartered in Tampa, they worked closely with Charlotte-based companies to hire a local workforce. Over the course of the project, we generated many jobs for Charlotte County,” Huff said.

Melanie Lenz spent years preparing for what has become a unique position with the Rays. Growing up in Grampian, Penn., she received her B.A. in English and political science from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, and then went on to gain a Master’s degree in urban and regional planning from University of Pittsburgh.

“I guess I inherited my love of construction and baseball from my dad,” Lenz said. “He owns a contracting business, and he was a great ballplayer when he was younger.” Before signing with the Rays, she was a vice president in the real estate development group at New York City’s Economic Development Corporation, focusing on real estate development of city-owned assets. Her noteworthy projects included planning for the redevelopment of Willets Point, an area directly adjacent to the New York Mets’ new Citi Field as well as several redevelopment projects near the old Yankee Stadium.

“This is my first job working for a sports organization, and it could not be a more wonderful experience,” Lenz said. “There were so many opportunities throughout the construction process to fine-tune the design and add or shape various amenities for both the club and the fans.

“The park is very fan friendly. Spring training is a special time in baseball. It brings fans closer to the game and truly provides an intimate baseball experience. The variety of seating sections [in all price ranges] ensures that there’s not a bad seat in the house. Plus, the kid’s play area allows everyone in the family to enjoy a day at the ballpark,” she explained. The Rays’ goal from the very beginning was to energize the community through the magic of baseball, and Lenz believes that the Charlotte Sports Park does just that. “The Rays are such a forward-thinking and community minded-organization. I am very lucky to be working for them. I believe this community is lucky, too, and will enjoy having the Rays as their hometown team.” And, indeed, we are.

Charlotte Sports Park, New and Improved

The original Charlotte Stadium was built in 1988 for the Texas Rangers. They departed for Arizona in 2002. In 2007, Charlotte County signed an agreement with the Tampa Bay Rays to locate their spring training games here. Funding came through a combination of the county’s tourist bed tax, the Rays’ organization and several state grants.

By January of this year, the park had been completely refurbished into a gleaming, family-friendly, state-of-the-art venue. The Rays played their first spring training game in February to a packed house. The Charlotte Stone Crabs also call the park home; they play from May through September.

The renovated seating bowl showcases a 360-degree, fanfriendly pedestrian concourse, a new luxury suite level, two outfield seating areas, a Tiki bar, two children’s play areas and new group areas. The Kid’s Clubhouse is divided into two sections: one for smaller children with slides and swings and another for older children.

The park’s capacity is approximately 5,000 fixed seats with another 1,500 seats in the general admission areas that are located on grassy berms along either side of the field. Five new rows of seats were added behind home plate and down the lines during the renovation, bringing the game closer to the fans. The old metal bleachers were removed and replaced with comfortable “Euro” designed plastic seating.

“We designed everything to fit in with the natural environment,” Huff said. “Since the parking area abuts the Tippecanoe Environmental Park [soon to be the entrance to walking trails, a boardwalk and a canoe and kayak launch], we were careful not to disturb the natural vegetation. We made a concerted effort to include several green elements in the project.”

The Baseball Boardwalk that surrounds the entire park is environmentally friendly. Built of Timber Tech decking, a wood fiber composite, it’s impervious to rain and humidity. There are four fixed concession stands, one expressly for children, plus several portable concession and ice cream stands dispersed throughout the park.

Behind home plate is a new 40,000- square-foot building that houses administrative offices and brand new major and minor league clubhouses for the 2008 American League Champions, the Tampa Bay Rays. There are also five private suites located behind home plate that hold 14–18 people each. Designed by Populous and furnished by The Beaux Arts Group in the Rays’ blue, white and gold colors, the suites are available for private parties and events.

The Ray’s striking colors are also evident throughout the entire complex, a vivid complement to the pristine environment in which facility is located. Even the restrooms are marked with the Rays’ sunburst logo and colors. Speaking of restrooms, take note ladies. There are three women’s restrooms for every two men’s restrooms. It’s called “potty parity,” and it’s a result of the 2004 plumbing code update. Nice, huh?

As the project progressed, Huff and Lenz joined their counterpart from Hunt Construction, Chris Bauer, at the site regularly. All three were there in their hardhats and work boots checking on the quality of construction and ensuring that everything was built to the plans and specifications of both the county and the Rays’ organization. Bauer served as on-site project manager for Hunt. His job was to work directly with the subcontractors and also serve as Huff’s and Lenz’s day-to-day contact if they had concerns regarding construction, scheduling or costs.

“While Chris dealt with the overall construction, Melanie and I managed and selected the final finishes and fixtures that are seen throughout the park,” Huff said. “We spent a significant amount of time with the suppliers, especially those for furniture, playground equipment, concession stands and signage to be certain that everything followed the design and theme for the ballpark.”

When it came time to choose equipment for the Kid’s Clubhouse, the Rays picked actual children, including Huff’s nine-year-old son, Tripp Lytle, to help choose menu items for the kid’s concession stand and equipment for their play areas. “When the Rays held a two-day summer camp and hitting clinic last year, we recruited 25 children each day from the clinic to participate in our focus group. The Rays fed them pizza and Gatorade and asked for their input regarding the playgrounds,” Huff said.

“We showed them pictures of various play equipment, and they voted on the ones they liked best. Robbie Artz, from the Rays, ran the clinic. I sat in as an observer, took notes and answered questions. It was a lot of fun to see what eventually emerged. Kids certainly have wild imaginations these days.”

After much deliberation, the youngsters settled on something called EVOS, an odd-looking contraption that incorporates imagination and creative play. It’s the focal point of the older children’s play area.

Another innovative addition — this one for adults — is the Tiki bar, located in the outfield overlooking the bullpen. The entire countertop of the bar is covered with collectable baseball cards, some dating to the 1940’s and earlier.

Toward the end of the project, Lenz temporarily relocated to Charlotte County so that she could be on-site daily to coordinate the operational aspects of the facility. This included coordinating with the Ripken Group (major owners of the Stone Crabs) and Charlotte County Parks and Recreation regarding staffing, parking and general day-to-day operations.

If, as Lenz said, the Rays’ goal was to energize the community through the magic of baseball, it appears that she, Huff and Bauer may have hit a home run. The Ray’s pre-season games broke their all-time spring training attendance records with over 100,000 fans. And the Stone Crabs are being well received by Charlotte County fans.

“Both of these ladies were extremely knowledgeable, fair and a lot of fun,” Bauer said. “We’d love to do this all over again.” “So would we,” Huff said. “This project was so much more than a stadium renovation project. We wanted a place where both young families and retirees could come out for affordable fun, where local businesses would network and market, and a destination for those in surrounding counties.

“To witness that vision come alive, whether at a Rays game or a Stone Crabs game, is truly magical. Baseball is definitely back in Charlotte County. It’s been a home run for each of us and for all the people of Charlotte County.”