I-Team: Construction companies eyeing possible dome build for the Browns

CLEVELAND (WJW) — The FOX 8 I-Team has found construction companies already lining up and looking to cash in if the Browns decide to build a dome. We investigated after we saw a post on the website of a construction trade group.

Crews building in your neighborhood, now, have begun to wonder if they could get hired to help build a dome for the Browns.

The team is considering making major renovations to the stadium downtown, or building a dome in Brook Park.

The Builders Exchange, a non-profit construction trade group posted information about the possibility of a dome, and it got reaction from companies statewide.

“Well, it got very popular. It was viewed by more than 300 companies,” said Ashley Grandetti, executive director of the Builders Exchange.

The Builders Exchange lets companies know about projects moving forward or just being discussed.

The organization posted what’s known so far about a possible dome project, and a wide range of contractors started checking it out.

“So, it’s everybody. General contractors, suppliers. If you lay turf. If you install scoreboards. If you do food service equipment. So, its contractors, sub-contractors, suppliers,” said Grandetti.

That led us to check back at Brook Park City Hall. Have any construction plans been filed yet? Or has approval been requested for any plans for a dome? The City of Brook Park says, not yet.  But, more calls keep coming in about the project.

“Nothing, officially, has come to us,” said Brook Park Commissioner of Economic Development Paul Marnecheck.

But, he added, just the talk of a dome has sparked calls to City Hall daily.

“From, even, property owners saying, ‘Hey, what can the City do? We want to fix up our property. We want to invest in our property,’” Marnecheck said. “Some individuals that want to invest in property, they want to know what’s Brook Park’s building code? What are your regulations?” he added.

Concrete may or may not get poured to build a dome for the Browns. But just in case, more and more people wonder if they can cash in on the project. And construction companies have started to think ahead to what it might take to get some of the business.

“I think everybody would like to get a piece of the pie,” said Grandetti.

For this story, we also checked in with the City of Cleveland and the Browns. Both told us nothing new yet on any decision about a stadium project.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.