On Monday, Amarillo, TX officials approved a construction bid for a new ballpark that will open for the relocating San Antonio Missions (Class AA; Texas League) in 2019.
The contract awarded on Monday went to the joint venture Western-Hunt, which consists of the Amarillo-based Western Builders and the Hunt Construction Group, a national firm. With the approval in place, the two firms can now plan to work together on the $45.54 million downtown ballpark project.
The Amarillo Local Government Corp. and Amarillo City Council signed off on the bid. Officials also cited the benefits that they believe will come from the collaboration between the two firms. More from The Amarillo Globe-News:
“Having a local company who has local ties to the community and relationships with local subs … I think there’s going to be a lot of local people who have the opportunity to work on this project, and that’s exactly what we hoped. That’s another benefit of the partnership,” LGC board member John Lutz said.
“I hesitate calling it a dream team because the term is so overused, but it is a dream team between Western Builders, Hunt Construction and Populous. We feel really strongly about it. This will be a first-rate facility for Amarillo. Everyone who walks into this facility will be filled with pride and achievement that our city, when we decide to do things, can come together and just do great things.”
Construction costs for the project are not to exceed $40 million, with an additional $5.54 million going toward surrounding streetscape and other developments, according to Globe-News files.
“We’re building to a higher standard of facility,” Lutz said.
The Missions’ move to Amarillo is part of a series of franchise shifts that the Elmore Sports Group is planning for 2019. The Double-A version of the Missions will be replaced in San Antonio by the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), while the Helena Brewers (Rookie; Pioneer League) will relocate to Colorado Springs. In Amarillo, it is anticipated that construction on the ballpark will break ground in January 2018, with the facility slated to be complete in time for the 2019 season.
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