EVERETT — The Everett City Council voted Wednesday to start the search for contractors to design a new or remodeled stadium to house the Everett AquaSox.
Wednesday’s vote allows the city to request quotes to form a Progressive Design-Build team — a method of project design where owners, contractors and architects work together through the entire process.
Typically, cities first contract designers to make plans for projects, then go out to market to receive bids for construction, said Ben Franz, a project manager at Shiels Obletz Johnsen hired as a consultant by the city, at Wednesday’s meeting.
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“This delivery method allows us to put the contractor right in the room with the architect, so every single design decision you are making around this facility, either the renovated facility or the new facility, you understand the cost implications of that right away,” Franz said at the meeting Wednesday.
The city paid Shiels Obletz Johnsen $344,400 last November for its services, along with just over $800,000 to Environmental Sciences Associates to help create an environmental impact evaluation of each site option. The city has spent just over $1.1 million in total on the project so far.
Everett has been pursuing a new home for the AquaSox since 2021 when Major League Baseball added new requirements for stadiums of its minor league teams. Funko Field — where the AquaSox, a class High-A team, currently play — needs major renovations, or a new stadium would have to be built to meet the requirements.
Wednesday’s vote had no implications on the site of the new facility or the potential cost of it. But it was a step toward keeping the AquaSox in Everett.
The city and the AquaSox missed a June 1 deadline set by Major League Baseball for a firm plan, said Chad Volpe, part of the AquaSox owner group, in September. The city is under pressure to show progress on getting a stadium built, as the MLB will continue to fine the AquaSox for every season the stadium doesn’t comply with the league’s standards, Volpe has said.
A new downtown multi-purpose facility, located near Angel of the Wings Arena, could cost up to $120 million, according to studies funded by the city and AquaSox ownership. Remodeling Funko Field could cost nearly $70 million. A downtown stadium would generate about $55 million in revenue annually, city Economic Development Director Dan Eernissee said in an April fiscal committee meeting.
A draft Environmental Impact Statement the city released in September lists three options: Renovate Funko Field, build a new stadium, likely downtown, or do nothing, which would likely lead to the AquaSox leaving Everett.
“What you’ve done tonight sends a real clear message to Major League Baseball that we’re serious about the AquaSox staying here in Everett, so I applaud all of you for pushing this forward,” Eernissee said at Wednesday’s meeting.
The development process will continue deep into 2025.
In November, the city planning department will issue the final Environmental Impact Statement and the project’s fiscal advisory committee will issue a draft of a financing plan to pay for the facility. In December, the council is expected to select a site. If the council does decide to build or renovate the stadium, it will authorize an initial contract with a Progressive Design-Build team in January. At the earliest, Franz said, the council could vote on a formal contract to either build a new facility or renovate Funko Field by next fall.
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
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