Little League International World Headquarters in South Williamsport, PA

Little League International World Headquarters in South Williamsport, PA expanded their current facility to allow participation of 16 teams during the 2001 World Series.

LDG provided site and structural design for a new 4,000 seat stadium and new stadium outfield seating for 800 to 1,000, covered pavilion, two permanent restroom facilities, one portable restroom facility, scoreboard, maintenance/storage facility, and new concourse area with concession building. We also provided field lighting, modern power distribution, telecommunication services throughout the complex, and the renovation of the existing Lamade Stadium for seating with handicap accessibility.

This was a multi-faceted, major facility expansion, that included site permitting, master planning, recreation/commercial planning, and facility development.

Electrical, telephone and data work on this project includes:

• Site Electrical — $190,000 includes five three-phase 12KV pad mounted transformers and four 12KV pad mounted switches, 2,650’ of 15KV primary cable and 350’ of secondary cable in conduits. This will provide an alternate 12KV power supply to the site. Also included are 4,700’ of telephone cable, 1,600’ of data cable and 1,460’ of CATV cable in conduits.
• Site Lighting – $100,000 for lighting fixtures, conduit and cables along 4,500’ of roadway and parking areas.
• New Stadium – $215,000 for switchgear, lighting fixtures, power and data devices. This also includes a 50KW emergency generator.
• Existing Stadium Renovation – $186,000 to upgrade electrical power and lighting equipment.
• Concession Building – $109,000 for panels, lighting fixtures and power devices.
• Restroom Buildings (2) and Pavilion – $50,000 for panels, lighting and receptacles.
• Gift Shop Renovation – $28,000 for upgrade of electrical power and lighting equipment.

Design phase services and the planning and development of the expansion spanned a several year period. During the planning stage, the main focus was the experience and safety of the Little League players. The project would be under construction during the 2000 series and absolutely had to be completed by the 2001 series. Scheduling and construction monitoring were critical to the success of the project./

During the 2000 series, the construction needed to stop for a one week period and provisions for the safety of players and visitors needed to be in place. Power, emergency provisions, and television broadcasting also needed to be ready. During series week, an average of 30,000 to 40,000 fans visits the site; and on World Series playoff day, the number goes as high as 100,000 and sometimes includes a visit by the President of the United States. Coordination involved the contractor, LDG, Little League, ABC, ESPN, and the Secret Service.

With a liquidated damage clause of $1 million, a schedule overrun was not an option. LDG’s dedicated personnel were on call 24/7 for this project and when the series opened in 2001, the project was a phenomenal success.

The expansion construction project was started March 8, 2000 and was completed in July, 2001.

Larson Design Group received the Honor Award, 2002 ACEC/PA Diamond Award for Engineering Excellence.