Gwinnett's new stadium is going up on time and so far, on budget, Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau General Manager Preston Williams said .

The stadium is supposed to be finished by April, in time for opening day of the 2009 International League season. It will be occupied by the top minor-league affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. The team is relocating from Richmond, Va.

What's been built so far hardly looks like a stadium. Contractors have put in portions of the foundation on the two buildings that will make up the base of the stadium. Workers have poured retaining walls that will make up parts of the structure of the dressing rooms, and underground utility work is under way, Williams said this week.

"We're just doing all the grunt and grind stuff we need to do to get this thing complete," he said.

According to a timetable provided by the firm overseeing contstruction, Barton Malow, work on the stadium's seating bowl isn't scheduled to begin until September.

Williams said construction has gone well so far, with no unexpected challenges to slow down work.

Construction contracts are going out to bid as soon as architects complete detailed drawings on each segment of the project, Williams said.

So far, packages that have been "bought" by contractors have come in at budget, Williams said.

He said it will take another month or two before the agency knows the total price for building the stadium, which was budgeted at $45 million — including the purchase price of the land.

Another key part of the stadium project — the sale of naming rights — remains on the table.

Williams said the bureau has had some discussions with specific companies interested in buying naming rights for the stadium, an important part of the county's plan for paying for the stadium.

But he said plenty of time remains to get that deal made.

"We're not 100 percent focused on that," he said.