Rio Nuevo unanimously approved a general contractor to begin the preconstruction process on $4.9 million in repairs to the arena. Concord General Contracting was awarded the contract for $35,160 to begin planning for renovations to the TCC’s bathrooms, ceilings, concession areas and more.
Despite the fact that the company finished first in the proposal process, the Board did not approve Concord for the overall construction contract.
Construction is scheduled to start after the Gem and Mineral Show this year.
The board approved taking over the deed for property near Cushing Street and Granada Avenue, known as the arena site.
The Board also approved a contest to rename the District. The District is organizing a contest for high school seniors within the City. They hope that seniors from 13 schools will submit suggested names.
Each City Council member will select one winner from his or her ward who will receive a $500 scholarship. The Rio Nuevo board will then select the overall winner.
A consultant was hired for up to $1,500 to manage the contest.
Last year, the District sought advice from the Legislature as to whether legislation could be crafted to legally change the name. Legislators rejected the move, so it is unclear as to whether a new name could appear on legal documents.
Jeff Hill, a former legislator, was the lone no vote. “I’m opposed to the whole idea. No matter what our name is, the newspapers are going to refer to it as the former Rio Nuevo anyway. It’s just an exercise in futility.”
It may be an exercise in futility and not legally binding, but Rio Nuevo can add one more consultant to a long list of consultants.