The Mobile Civic Center has seen better days and is now slated for a makeover. The city plans to renovate the Arena and Theater.
"There's still some debate about the actual Expo Hall currently and whether that's a an asset worth keeping," said Public Works Executive Director James DeLapp.
DeLapp says the project is comparable to how Birmingham renovated Legacy Arena. Mobile is using the same design team. Before the city council is a $2.9 million contract that will cover 25% of the design work for the project.
"Once we get the 25% design we'll have a more updated cost estimate," said DeLapp.
The renovation right now is estimated to cost $133 million, $170 million if you include the parking garage on site. Construction is slated to begin late summer or early fall on it. Before that, the civic center marquee will come down at the end of June, and the Army Corps of Engineers will begin construction of its six story office building on the corner. DeLapp says the city may have to borrow money for the renovation project and is working with Atlanta based marketing firm Melt to help identify a sponsor to offset the cost of the project.
"We've never had that in the past. It hasn't been named before, and we don't have any sponsorships at the Arena and the site. So, we're really looking forward to that much like the Hancock Whitney stadium," said DeLapp.
DeLapp says the initial design work should be completed by the end of the year, but the project will require a full year of designing. DeLapp says construction will take 18 months to two years. DeLapp says they're aiming for a grand reopening of the civic center in January 2027. He says the construction will mean changes for Mardi Gras. Next year, he says people will have to find a different place to park if they're attending a ball.
"The Arena will be open for the use for the Mardi Gras organizations, but the parking will be completely closed on the site, and then the following two years '25 and '26 it will be closed during further renovation," said DeLapp.
DeLapp says the inconvenience of finding an alternative site for Mardi Gras balls will be well worth it in the end to have modern, updated facilities.