HUTCHINSON, Kan. — At one point, the Hutchinson Sports Arena project was about $1 million over budget.
Changes in plans and a few cuts have lessened the overrun and at Thursday’s arena building committee meeting the announcement was made that the project is at the break-even point and has recouped about half of the $320 thousand in contingency fund that was used to help move passage of the bid packages along by the City Council.
There are still a few numbers left to crunch as the third bid package has yet to be opened. That will happen later this month.
As for a construction update: The north walls will go up starting Monday, weather permitting. Crews will begin moving in the large crane that will lift the 40,000 pound concrete panels into place starting Friday, and work to assemble the crane over the weekend.
Demolition work is already under way in various portions of the arena and crews will begin a full-force demolition of the arena’s bowl the day after the last graduation, May 23rd. Crews are ahead in most areas and a little behind in others, but nothing major.
Work crews ran into a snag when they fractured a main conduit that ran power to the main gym. That has since been repaired and everything should be in place for the three graduation ceremonies over the next two weeks.
