Elfstrom Stadium Renovation...

The Chicago Daily Herald reports on the bids for the renovation of the home of the Kane County Cougars. The amount of the bids were a bit of a surprise.

Elfstrom Stadium renovation bids still higher than expected

After restructuring the bid process in the hopes of cutting costs, Kane County Forest Preserve officials learned Friday that the lowest bid for Elfstrom Stadium topped $12.1 million.

That's a million more than the first round of bids and more than double the amount committed by the forest preserve.

Officials from the forest preserve and the Kane County Cougars organization plan to meet next week to discuss the project. Both parties said they remain committed to overhauling the Geneva stadium, but it's unclear at this point which organization will back up its commitment with cash.

"We've always been willing to put up some more money," said Jeff Sedivy, Cougars vice president/general manager. "We just have to find a figure we're both comfortable with."

What will the renovations entail?

The renovation will add a second-level seating area and other amenities to the ballpark, owned by the forest preserve and leased by the Cougars minor-league baseball team.

Both parties what the renovations done by the 2009 season.