Construction continues at West Palm Beach facility, but Astros and Nats making contingency plans

Construction at The Ballpark at the Palm Beaches, the new spring training facility in West Palm Beach, Fla., that the Nationals will share with the Astros, is progressing. According to photos shot earlier this summer, the outfield walls are taking shape and practice fields are clearly visible on the 160-acre parcel.

But according to this article in the Palm Beach Post, both the Astros and Nationals are making contingency plans in case the ballpark is not ready to host workouts in mid-February and games two weeks later, as scheduled. The newspaper says 250 workers are on-site every day, pushing to complete the $144 million project on time.

The Astros could return for another season at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee, according to a baseball source, and the Palm Beach Post reported the team has already talked to Oseola County officials about their former spring training home. The Nationals last year negotiated the rights to extend their lease at Space Coast Stadium in Viera for 2017 in case construction is delayed, Nationals partner Art Fuccillo told the newspaper.

Ground was broken on the project in November, creating a tight timeline to finish construction. To date, there have been no delays.

But the main worry is weather - specifically any period of sustained rain, especially a tropical storm or hurricane, that could shut down construction for a period of days. Hurricane season runs through Nov. 30. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expects an active last few months of hurricane season.

A Nationals spokesperson said: "As we have said previously, building this state-of-the-art complex in 13 short months would be a tremendous challenge. We remain hopeful that we are ready to welcome fans to The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches next spring."

Astros general counsel Giles Kibbe told the newspaper that both teams are focused on meeting the demanding schedule in order to play Grapefruit League games at the new ballpark next spring.

"At present the project is rounding second base and sprinting for home as fast and as hard as we can. We expect to be safe at home," Kibbe said. "The county, the teams and the contractors are all working together and all have one definitive goal -- 2017.''

The Nationals trained at Space Coast Stadium from 2003, when they were the Montreal Expos, to 2016. The Expos spent from 1981-1997 at Municipal Stadium in West Palm Beach, a facility they shared with the Braves.

The Nationals have been seeking a new spring training headquarters for several years to cut down on travel. The opening of The Ballpark at the Palm Beaches would put five teams in a small geographic area. In addition to the Nats and Astros, the Marlins and Cardinals train in nearby Jupiter and the Mets are in Port St. Lucie, only a short drive away.