Ship design wins events center runoff

Cost loopholes sink runner-up’s historic brick design

By Theresa Goffredo

Herald Writer

EVERETT — The steamship sailed past the competition Tuesday when a special selection committee chose to forgo a historic brick facade for a more streamlined, modern look to house a proposed hockey arena and events center.

The committee’s decision to approve the more modern design hinged on two key elements: The brick model did not include a second ice sheet for public skating, and the brick exterior only applied to one side of the building.

If the community wanted brick on all sides and a second ice sheet, that would have cost an additional $5 million on top of the $40.8 million proposed cost.

The brick model, as presented Tuesday by the architectural design team of Mortenson &Hok Sport, appeared to be a case of what you see is not what you get.

"The price tag was in excess of $5 million to get what they showed on the model," selection committee member Rich Anderson said. "It was a little misleading, to say the least.

"Everybody loved the look of that building," Anderson continued. "But it’s 10 percent more money then we had, and nobody in that room was willing to step up and write that check."

Mortenson was one of two architectural design teams that sought the $40.8 million contract to build the proposed hockey arena. With Mortenson out of the running, it looked as if the contract would be awarded to PCL Construction Services and LMN and PBK architects.

PCL, of Bellevue, designed a sleek building with a steel, metal, glass and brick facade surrounded by trees. The PCL design, resembling a steamship with two protruding masts, was the design of choice by the committee because of its multiple-use capability of a professional hockey ice sheet and a separate ice rink for community skating.

The PCL design also included luxury suites, a feature not included in the base proposal from the Mortenson team.

"The Mortenson architecture on the exterior fit in better with downtown, but the proposal was a little misleading because there was brick only on one side — the Hewitt Avenue side," selection committee member Earl Dutton said.

Dutton said in reading the Mortenson proposal he was reminded of the adage "The large print giveth and the small print taketh away."

"I was quite impressed with it at first, but then I got to reading, and I found out the facts," Dutton said.

Now that the selection committee made its choice, the PCL team’s design still must be accepted by the special facilities district board. Before a contract is signed, the board and PCL have to agree on how to stay within the $2.1 million contingency for the project.

The hockey arena is being funded largely from money from a state sales tax rebate. Dirt must be turned on the project by January 2003 in order for the city to qualify for the rebate. The Everett Special Facilities District has been set up to operate the proposed hockey arena, which is to be built in a two-block area west of Broadway and Hewitt Avenue.

The proposed arena, which could ultimately cost $50 million including the land, would seat about 8,000 for hockey and about 10,000 for concerts.

A hockey franchise already has been awarded to Everett.

With Boeing’s announcement last week that it would lay off thousands of Everett workers, the city has since gone back to the financial drawing board to make sure building a new hockey arena is the right thing to do.

But as far as the facilities district is concerned, board members will move ahead with the project, said Dutton, who is also a board member.

"The layoffs and the downturn they’ve had means it’s all the more important to build a facility to provide employment and that type of thing for the short haul," Dutton said.

You can call Herald Writer Theresa Goffredo at 425-339-3097

or send e-mail to goffredo@heraldnet.com.

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