By Gary Lloyd
Bids from general contractors hoping to land the Hewitt-Trussville football stadium project will be opened May 30, according to Trussville City Schools Interim Director of Facilities Barry Davis
.
Davis said Monday that the school system is advertising for general contractor pre-qualifications and will tentatively open bids May 30. Davis said school officials will review pre-qualifications and try to make selections May 9, followed by a mandatory pre-bid conference around May 16.
A general contractor that will build the stadium behind the Trussville Civic Center is expected to be voted on at the Trussville City Board of Education meeting in early June.
Davis said an approximate dollar amount for the entire project is “yet to be determined,” though he did say the project is on pace so that football can be played in the new stadium beginning with the 2014 high school football season.
“Unless we have a major problem that we didn’t know we were going to encounter,” Davis said.
Construction will begin after a general contractor is approved.
Trussville Mayor Gene Melton said last month that an archaeological excavation of the site for the future Hewitt-Trussville football stadium could be completed by the end of May or mid-June.
Melton said the Army Corps of Engineers is “very close” to reaching an agreement with Native American tribes that would allow the city of Trussville to proceed with Phase III of an archaeological study. Melton said the Army Corps of Engineers is moving as fast as it can.
“They’re getting very close to that,” Melton said. “We’re already making preparations for the excavation of that site for Phase III.”
The Trussville City Council in November approved Phase III of the archaeological study being conducted by the University of Alabama for $142,577. That cost did not include the cost of the excavation, which city officials in November did not know.
After the excavation is complete, the city can seek bids for the construction of the new stadium, an extension of Husky Parkway and a bridge over the Cahaba River that will reach the stadium, Melton said. Melton said the city is also considering an extension of the Trussville Public Library as part of the project.
The archaeological study began after researchers found evidence of a prehistoric settlement at the stadium site, finding things such as stone-made tools and man-made pottery. Hewitt-Trussville High School students will be able to participate in the archaeological dig to learn about Native American history, a learning experience coordinated through science teacher David Dobbs.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
