LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Athletics are now one step closer to calling Las Vegas home with a groundbreaking on their new state-of-the-art ballpark Monday.
While many were celebrating, several are still skeptical that this ballpark will be built.
WATCH | Ryan Ketcham asks owner John Fisher directly how they will pay for the stadium
The team building this new stadium, McCarthy Building Companies and Mortensen, also combined in a joint venture to build Allegiant Stadium.
Representatives from the two companies tell me construction will start immediately, with drilling Monday night.
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WATCH: Groundbreaking begins for the Athletics' Las Vegas ballpark
We know that many of you are wondering how long will this take? How much will it cost?And will it even get done? I took your questions directly to A's officials to find out.
“We’re planning for whatever may come our way and we’re going to get this thing built," said Athletics owner John Fisher.
A sign of confidence by Fisher, shared among many at the ballpark groundbreaking.
“We look forward to welcoming you in 2028," said LVCVA President and CEO Steve Hill.
“There will be Major League Baseball in Las Vegas in 2028," said MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.
WATCH | Overcoming obstacles to get the Athletics stadium built in Vegas with owner John Fisher
I asked Manfred if that team is going to be the Athletics, and he said "it is."
Not everyone is sold that this ballpark will come to fruition though, several locals have messaged us or told me they don't think it will happen. Manfred disagrees.
“I don’t understand the skeptics, I haven’t for sometime, I mean John Fisher and his team with the A’s, completely committed to this project in getting the A’s to Las Vegas," Manfred said.
Skeptics I've spoken with say there's two big concerns: First, the timeline is aggressive to get the team here by 2028; second is whether or not the funding is actually locked in.
Locals are also concerned with traffic in the area.
“We’re still on track for April opener, start of Major League season in ’28," said Logan Gerken, Mortensen Vice President and General Manager.
What about the price? In December, we reported the project would cost $1.75 billion.
“The project budget is the project budget, $1.75 billion and it’s tracking really well," said Ross Edwards, McCarthy Building Companies Vice President.
Edwards tells me there has not been any change in the price, despite new tariffs introduced this year by the Trump administration.
Here's a breakdown of how the ballpark is expected to be paid.
- $380 million in already approved state taxpayer funds can be used.
- The Fishers have a $300 million loan.
- $1.1 billion is expected to be covered by the Fishers.
But can they cover the cost? I asked John Fisher directly if they have enough money to build this ballpark to be here in Las Vegas.
"Yeah, I mean from the beginning we’ve said we’ve had this, you know you don’t start a project like this unless you intend on completing it," Fisher said.
In December, the Athletics presented a note to Las Vegas officials during a Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority meeting, from U.S. Bank. It showed the Fishers can afford their portion of the bill.
However, skeptics say the letter does not show that he will pay for it, so many in our community are concerned with how this ballpark will ultimately be paid for.
The construction teams tell me this ballpark won't be ready until 2028 before the MLB season, but they say you should expect to see physical signs of the new ballpark as early as this Fall.
