Evansville Area Construction Firms Win 65% of Arena Work to Date

(EVANSVILLE, IN) – Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel announced today that with contracts awarded for more than 80% of the construction on the new Evansville Arena, Evansville-area companies have been awarded approximately 65% of the work to date.

Several of the competitively bid contracts that have gone to companies from outside the area were for items such as hockey ice systems, elevators and arena seating. Although these specialized services and products were not expected to be available from Evansville contractors, many are utilizing local labor.  The President of the Iron Workers Local #103, Keith Wiggins, says their employment has increased 50%.

“These numbers are satisfying in two ways,” said Mayor Weinzapfel. “It confirms that our construction industry can compete for price and quality with anyone.  And it tells me that Evansville contractors stepped up to the plate to be part of the revitalization of Downtown.”

To date, the Evansville Redevelopment Commission has awarded 27 construction contracts for the project, beginning with a sewer relocation job handled by Precision Piping and Mechanical, Inc., and demolition of Main Street buildings performed by Tim Klenck Demolition, LLC, both of Evansville. The latest contracts to be awarded were for electrical and low-voltage electrical work, both won by Industrial Contractors, Inc. of Evansville.

The contracts to date total $78.9 million, with work totaling $51.5 million awarded to Evansville-area firms. The largest single contract among the 27 was a $12.7 million package awarded to Industrial Contractors, Inc.

The following are Evansville-area contractors that have won contracts in the arena project:

The new 290,000 square-foot Evansville Arena, opening in late 2011, will be the region’s center for sports and entertainment, designed to host basketball, hockey, concerts, exhibitions and shows for audiences as large as 11,000.