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Hoover council OKs $20.3 million general works construction package for sports complex

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Sketch by Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood

The Hoover City Council tonight agreed to pay $20.3 million for a “general works” construction package for the new sports complex being built next to Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.

That is $1.9 million more than budgeted for that construction package, but $1.83 million less than the amount originally proposed by the low bidder for the project, M.J. Harris Construction Services.

City officials decided to eliminate the slab and rooftop air conditioning unit for a sports performance facility that likely will be rented out to a private company, Hoover Executive Director Allen Pate said. Those costs likely will be passed onto the private company.

They also changed the design for a covered canopy that will go between the Hoover Met and the new 155,000-square-foot indoor event center, Pate said. That canopy will still be built, but it will be a lesser canopy than originally designed, he said.

Stephen Franklin of Brasfield & Gorrie, the construction manager for the city, said the city also was able to save about $1.7 million through value engineering. For example, they chose to use less expensive materials for some parts of the construction, such as light fixtures, Franklin said.

Hoover Council President Jack Wright said even though the project was over budget, he was satisfied that city officials were able to cut back some of the costs on the project through value engineering.

The City Council postponed a vote on the general works construction package for two weeks to achieve the savings.

“We’re kind of committed” to the project, Wright said. “We’d like to go ahead and get the building going.”

The $20.3 million is just a part of the overall cost for the 124-acre sports complex. The total cost is projected to be about $76 million.

The council already has awarded a $3.9 million contract to C.S. Beatty Construction for a partial relocation and expansion of the Hoover RV Park, a $3.37 million contract to Dunn Construction Co. for the pre-engineered metal building that will serve as the indoor event center and a $2.36 million contract to Rabren General Contractors to do the foundation work and concrete pad for the event center.

The complex also is scheduled to include five college-size baseball fields, five soccer/lacrosse/football fields, 16 tennis courts, a pro shop, a 2-mile walking track, playground and splash pad.

The vote to approve the general works construction package was unanimous, but Councilman John Greene voted against a separate $488,698 contract to renovate the locker rooms and a storage facility on the pool deck at the Hoover Recreation Center.

Greene once again compared this expenditure to the amount of money the City Council is allocating to the Hoover school system. Greene repeatedly has said the city should be giving more money to the school system, and he previously voted against the 2016 budget in protest.

Greene asked Hoover Parks and Recreation Director Craig Moss whether there would be any danger to the public if these renovations were not completed. Moss said some of the cracked tiles in the shower area of the locker rooms could be a danger to the public.

The renovation work will include a complete renovation of locker rooms for both men and women, including new lockers, countertops, toilets and tile, Moss said. A lot of the tiles are damaged and need to be repaired, he said. The renovation also should help bring the locker rooms in total compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, he said.

The condition of the locker room has been the No. 1 complaint of Rec Center users, Moss said. “We’ve been dealing with this about two years now,” he said. “Most people judge a facility by its locker rooms, but our locker rooms are in pretty bad shape.”

More than 500 people a day use the locker rooms, and overall Rec Center membership has grown to about 8,500 members, Moss said.

Greene noted there are nearly 14,000 students in Hoover schools.

In other business tonight, the Hoover City Council:

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