After years of controversy and legal battles, the massive Big League Dreams ballpark in Gilbert — once touted as the “Disneyland for Athletes” — shut its doors for repairs, citing “dangerous” safety conditions.

Big League Dreams, the operator of the town-owned ballpark, said it had no forewarning that the park would shutter Friday. The park won’t reopen until early 2019.

According to court records, Gilbert officials told Big League Dreams it planned to close the facility in September.  

Schedules for the softball and soccer teams that play at the park were removed from the ballpark’s website Friday, replaced with a note stating, “All games have been canceled until further notice.”

Big League Dreams spokesman Chuck Jelloian said the company was “as surprised as anybody” about the Friday announcement. 

“We want to apologize for any inconvenience this causes the public out there,” Jelloian said.

Sudden action ‘to protect the public’

Gilbert issued a news release saying it will make $11.6 million in improvements to Elliot District Park, which encompasses the eight-field ballpark.

During a recent inspection, a consultant found major deficiencies with the park’s grandstands. The consultant said the conditions were “dangerous” and required repair or removal, according to documents obtained by The Arizona Republic through a public records request.

“The Town asked BLD-Gilbert to address those safety concerns in a timely manner, but unfortunately, BLD-Gilbert failed to do so,” the town’s attorney Robert Grasso said. 

Grasso said the town needed to “take immediate action to protect the public.” 

Who will foot the bill for these costly repairs is unclear.

The Gilbert website says repairs will be funded with money from a settlement after the town sued the builder of the ballpark for faulty construction.

But in May, the town sent a letter to park operator Big League Dreams Gilbert, a subsidiary of a California-based company, requesting it fork over the money for repairs. Town officials would not say if it still intends to recoup the money from the company, but it’s tangled in two lawsuits with Big League Dreams on related issues.

Park mired with legal battles

The park, near Elliot and Power roads, is home to several softball leagues and soccer teams, and also services Little League tournaments

Each field is a replica of a famous ballpark, like Fenway Park or Wrigley Field. The facility also features a restaurant, a 20,000-square-foot fieldhouse, batting cages and playground equipment. Big League Dreams operates 11 other ballparks with similar designs in California, Texas and Nevada. 

Since the Gilbert ballpark opened in 2008, the construction challenges and legal hurdles surrounding the facility have overshadowed its elaborate design. 

About four years after the $40 million ballpark opened to the public, the town discovered significant hazards including cracks in the concrete, uneven steps, excessive ramp slopes, unsecured handrails and tripping risks. 

The town filed a lawsuit against the builder, M.A. Mortenson, in 2013 alleging faulty construction.

Gilbert spent about $2 million for temporary repairs in 2014, eliminating tripping hazards and ensuring that stadium stairs, handrails, ramps and other structures comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The park stayed open during those repairs at the request of Big League Dreams, court documents show.

M.A. Mortenson settled the lawsuit in 2015, agreeing to pay the town $13.5 million. 

Town demands renovations

Last year, the town notified Big League Dreams that it planned to close the park for 12-18 months beginning in July for the remainder of the necessary renovations. That date was later changed to Sep. 7, according to court documents the town filed. 

The company asked the town to consider closing only portions of the park at a time, as it did during the first phase of construction, to minimize the economic impact to Big League Dreams. The town declined to consider any alternatives, the company’s lawyers allege in court documents. 

In a court document, the town’s lawyer says keeping portions of the park open would have increased the time needed to complete the project and upped the cost between $5 million and $8 million.

In May, the town’s attorney sent a letter to Big League Dreams noting that the grandstands needed repair and the town expected the company to pay for the renovations, according to public records. Gilbert noted that Big League Dreams is responsible for maintenance at the park.

Big League Dreams responded the same day, questioning the town’s urgency to replace the grandstands and denying financial responsibility.

In his letter, CEO Scott Parks LeTellier said the grandstands were negligently constructed and should have been part of the town’s lawsuit against the builder.

LeTellier also said the grandstands don’t present a danger because “no one sits, walks, works or plays in or on these grandstands,” as they are just visual backdrops designed to replicate famous stadiums.

He suggested blocking public access to the walking trails near the grandstands to alleviate the town’s concerns.

Legal issues continue

Big League Dreams filed a lawsuit against Gilbert in April, accusing the town of not living up to its obligations under the operating agreement and failing to pay the company after it received settlement money from M.A. Mortenson.

The company believed the town should have given it some of the settlement money, because it suffered operating losses because of the 2014 construction closures.

The company also claimed the town breached its contract because it failed to minimize the impact to Big League Dreams by insisting on a full closure. 

The company alleged that Gilbert was uncooperative because the town-owned and -operated parks that compete with Big League Dreams have lost revenue.

Big League Dreams also faulted the town for failing to provide a second fieldhouse, as required in its contract, according to court documents. 

The town filed suit against Big League Dreams three days later, alleging that the ballpark had millions of dollars of defects due to the company’s flawed design of the park, lack of maintenance and misuse of the facility. The town also said the company has not made good on its financial obligation.

The town asked the court to terminate its contract with Big League Dreams and force the company to pay up.

However, the town has not served Big League Dreams, and the case will be dismissed by the court on July 24 if it does not do so, according to court documents.

Jelloian said Big League Dreams is trying to work with the town, as it has done since the beginning.

“We really want to work with the (town). We want to build a bridge with the (town) and work out any issues that need to be fixed,” he said. 

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