26-02-2025
Birmingham-based contractor wins bid for Mobile Civic Center
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — The Mobile City Council has approved Birmingham-based company B.L. Harbert International as the contractor for the future Mobile Civic Center.
B.L. Harbert International had the lowest bid of three options, coming in $13 million under the $250 budget.
DoorDash driver mauled by 2 dogs in DeFuniak Springs
'It took a long time to get here, but what a great day,' Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson said.
It's the most expensive project the City of Mobile has ever undertaken with a price tag of roughly $300 million.
The City Council gave the green light to Stimpson Tuesday morning to borrow $250 million from bonds to help pay for the arena and the extra expenses expected.
Stimpson plans to go to the market to shop around for the right bonds after the carnival season wraps up next week. He said the city will pay off the debt in 20 years but believes that the future arena will eventually pay for itself.
'We were losing $2 million every year from that footprint, let's call it, where the civic center was,' Stimpson said. 'One day, maybe 10 years from now, that will be $1 billion worth of investment going on that footprint. My speculation is that it won't be losing $2 million a year based on everything that's teed up.'
David Clark with Visit Mobile is confident that the future arena managed by the Oak View Group will attract people and their wallets to the Port City.
'It's a really big deal when you have OVG, the largest venue operator in the world, and Live Nation, the biggest booking entertainment company in the world,' Clark said. 'That's going to be a whole lot of activity for us to promote.'
Order of LaShe's, Order of Olympia parade through downtown Mobile Tuesday
B.L. Harbert will be officially awarded the contract on March 12.
Construction is expected to be completed in time for Mardi Gras 2027.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
