A construction manager is being hired and the plan to renovate the Bell Auditorium independently from the overall new James Brown Arena complex is a go.
Members of the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority voted July 26 to hire McKnight Construction, in partnership with J and B Construction, as the construction manager for pre-construction services.
MORE: Moving ahead with plans to renovate the Bell Auditorium
The authority had posted an RFP in May and invited interested firms to bid on the project. The seven-month contract with the construction firms is for $75,000.
“So, now that we have a construction manager on board, and we have the architectural team on board, we will advance the design to a point where we have pricing documents in October, November of this year,” said H.B. Brantley, project executive consultant and owner’s representative. “We’re hoping to have our construction documents finished by the end of the year, and have the contractor put out the different sets and different divisions for bid an award and have those numbers for some time in April.”
Brantley anticipated the project will take 13 months to complete, projecting a March 2024 target date.
Renovations to the Bell were included in the overall design for the new JBA. However, the project stalled when Richmond County voters rejected a Nov. 2, 2021, bond referendum to pay for the project. More than 60% of the 12,844 ballots cast opposed the $240 million dollar referendum.
Brantley had recommended the authority move forward with the Bell portion of the project during the June 28 meeting.
MORE: Coliseum Authority is exploring New Market Tax Credits to fund new James Brown Arena
Perkins+Will, the design and architecture firm working on the JBA project, presented an expansion discovery overview at that meeting. It summed up needed renovations and repairs and included improvements they recommend.
“We’ll be renovating the existing club. We’ll be renovating and adding men’s and women’s restrooms to that eastside along with renovations to do dressing rooms and green rooms. On the opposite side, we would be looking at taking over the storage room with a women’s and men’s restroom,” said Shawn Adams, who made the presentation on behalf of Perkins+Will.
Authority members approved $884,000 in June for Perkins+Will to begin the design services.
Adams, and colleague Michael Harvey, were at the July meeting to give an update on the design services.
“It’s hopefully the first of two phases, as it says up there. Get the kind of the ball rolling, or maybe the Bell is rolling,” Harvey said. “In getting the expansion to the Bell and getting people excited about the potential of this campus is an entertainment complex.”
One of the advantages to doing the Bell first is it can be something tangible to show Richmond County taxpayers what the overall project can bring to the city. Money was allocated from the SPLOST 8 funds approved by voters in March 2021. It included $25 million in seed money to help kick off the project to build a new JBA that will seat 10,000 people for a concert. By comparison, the existing arena seats about 6,500 for a concert.
“We had a kind of reverse system where we were going to build the arena first and then do the Bell. Now we’re just reversing it and we’re going to have kind of show what the potential of Augusta is and what the future is,” Harvey said.
Authority chairman Cedric Johnson had advice for the board and staff.
“As we do the Bell, we need to be selling the whole project,” he said.
Another advantage is the JBA remains open for bookings, continuing to bring money into the city.
Authority members also voted to extend Brantley’s contract for another seven months for $145,000.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a general assignment reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
