Before the Buffalo Bills open their exhibition season this summer, Erie County will be putting around $3 million into a series of projects in Orchard Park, including a new playing surface for the stadium.
"This will be the latest and greatest updated field," said Erie County Public Works Commissioner William Geary.
Geary says the process is worked out in a series of meetings, year to year, involving everyone who has a piece of the stadium. Work is expected to start around May 1.
"We have worked to make sure that everybody is in an orchestrated dance, keeping all the contractors moving and everything fluid and getting everything done," he said.
"Year six of the 10-year lease, we're looking at just under $3 million worth of work and that's various improvements to the stadium, from some as simple as painting and concrete repairs, site improvements," Geary said. "The big ticket price project this year is we're replacing the turf and track on the main field."
Geary said there are smaller projects like some repairs on the asphalt under the field rug. Until the bids are in, it's not clear if there will be padding under the carpet, like the current field, or without any cushioning, like the rug before that.
There will also be other projects, as well, including repairs to the stadium parking lots. The goal is to have everything done by the time the Bills return from training camp in Rochester.
