Plans to renovate the Durham Athletic Park have been called into question.

For more than a year, the City of Durham has been working with Minor League Baseball to refurbish the facility to make it a state-of-the art training ground for teams.

But in a letter to the city, Pat O'Conner, the president of the league, questioned delays and the contractor chosen for the project.

O'Conner said in the letter, "I am writing to express our serious concerns with both the quality of the work and numerous delays that have been experienced to date."

The president said in the letter that city leaders did not pick the league's top choice, and the setbacks could give the League a bad name.

"Minor League Baseball goes to great lengths to ensure that our 107-year-old organization is associated only with 'first-class' operations and projects," the letter said.

"I'm assuming that everyone including Minor League Baseball signed off on the design as it was drawn, and the question is whether or not the contractor, contractors are constructing the project consistent with those expectations," said Durham city manager Tom Bonfield.

Bonfield recently assumed the city manager role in Durham. Arrangements for the upgrades were made before he was even offered the job.

Bonfield says he's ordered city staff to come up with recommendations by next Tuesday to make sure the project is timely and top-notch.

Related Links

1. Read the Letter