Dive Brief:
- Some Buffalo Bills fans are perhaps a little too eager for the NFL team’s new stadium. Three of them faced an Orchard Park Town Justice Court judge last week over charges that they trespassed on the $1.4 billion project in Orchard Park, New York, WGRZ reported.
- The three were among 10 fans that have entered the Gilbane-Turner joint venture’s site on Sundays during this season, according to WGRZ.
- The team’s supporters, nicknamed “Bills Mafia,” are known for their ardent displays of affection for the squad — such as leaping off of truck tailgates and onto foldout tables. After a fan allegedly fell into a massive excavation on the jobsite, a trend of jokes cropped up on social media about “feeding the pit,” to ensure the team’s success.
Dive Insight:
The Gilbane-Turner team broke ground on the New Highmark Stadium in June 2023 near the site of the team’s existing stadium. The project will be complete in time for the 2026 season.
Contractors and local authorities are working to secure the jobsite from fans or other trespassers.
“Safety on the project site is paramount,” a Gilbane-Turner spokesperson told Construction Dive via email. “Construction sites can have hazards, which is why we have established a safe, secure and welcoming site for individuals who are working hard to build the new Highmark Stadium for the Buffalo Bills.”
Fencing around the project has signs warning potential trespassers they will be prosecuted.
“We will continue to be vigilant and take necessary steps to maintain a safe site,” the spokesperson said. “Any individual caught trespassing will be subject to prosecution.”
The judge handed 100 hours of community service to the three trespassers, WGRZ said.
Stadium progress
In July, early in the New Highmark Stadium’s schedule, the JV took heat from Erie County Legislature Chairperson April Baskin for falling short of initial hiring goals. Then in October, the team announced it had awarded 40% of contracts to minority-, women- or service-disabled veteran-owned companies.
That amounted to 55 subcontracts worth $163 million, about 40% of the $408 million in awards to that point. Peter Davoren, CEO of Turner, told Construction Dive at the time that Baskin’s comments “shook the tree,” adding he was glad, as it ensured all stakeholders were on the same page.
As for the football team, the Bills’ season ended at home Jan. 21 with a 27-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC playoffs’ divisional round.