Belmont Park Grandstand Rebuild Nears September Finish on Two-Year Sprint
Engineering News-Record reports that the $455 million reconstruction of Belmont Park’s grandstand in Elmont, New York, is entering its final stretch, with a partial opening set for September 18 and full completion by year’s end. Designed by Populous with AECOM Tishman as construction manager, the 275,000-sq-ft venue is being built on a two-year schedule that started with demolition in early 2024 and foundation work by September 2024. The project is currently at peak manpower with roughly 400 workers on site six days a week, operating under a project labor agreement drawing most trades from Nassau County.
To protect the schedule, AECOM Tishman prepurchased electrical and mechanical equipment, including switchgear, distribution boards, an emergency generator, rooftop HVAC units and chillers, to avoid lead-time delays. The team also pushed to close in the building before winter, finishing most of the facade, about 1,000 unitized panels and 3,800 metal panels, by year’s end to keep the interior dry enough for mechanical and finish work to proceed on the fly.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Interior finish trades, including drywall, tile and mechanical contractors, should expect compressed punch-list windows: the first two levels are being finished now for the September 18 partial opening, with levels three and four due by year’s end.
- Electrical and mechanical subs on similarly fast-tracked venue projects should flag long-lead equipment early. AECOM Tishman’s prepurchase of switchgear, generators and chillers shows GCs are locking in gear months ahead to avoid schedule slippage.
- Value-engineering input can pay off fast: swapping basement walls from masonry to mold-resistant drywall saved the project about $2 million, a reminder that subs who flag cost and schedule fixes during construction, not just at bid, can win favor on future work.
- On design-incomplete fast-track jobs, expect on-site architects making real-time calls instead of formal RFIs, so field crews and supers should be ready for verbal direction and quick sign-offs rather than paper-trail delays.
