By Eric Mungenast | East Valley Tribune
The Mesa City Council voted unanimously on an item to progress the renovation of Hohokam Stadium and ensure the project is completed before the Oakland A’s play their first spring training game in 2015.
The vote, made during the council’s June 17 meeting, approved the hiring of a construction manager at risk, or CMAR, to provide input on several aspects of the project and the procurement of five hydrotherapy tanks for a total cost just shy of $560,000.
According to documents attached to the meeting’s agenda, the CMAR the council hired, W.E. O’Neil Construction, will have a hand in project design, cost-estimating, development and coordinating with the city during the construction process. Assistant City of Mesa engineer Kelly Jensen said the benefits of using a CMAR in lieu of a traditional model stem from the company’s involvement with the project from day one, which can reduce the number of design corrections and help all parties involved adjust to any impromptu challenges.
