Mobile officials outline $300 million civic center plan and delay lodging-tax change after legal snag

City of Mobile finance and project staff told the City Council on the record that the civic center/arena project remains on schedule and that the total project budget is $300 million, but officials cautioned that near-term debt-service years (2025–26) will be tight and that a proposed lodging-tax amendment must be reworked after a legal issue was identified.

Sam, a representative for engineering firm Volkert, said the construction schedule is moving as planned: “So we are on schedule, with the arena procurement.” He told the council demolition of the civic center is nearly complete and the parking deck is structurally up to the sixth level on the north half and expected to be substantially complete and open in April under the current schedule.

The council received a detailed cost breakdown from the team presenting the bid award. Scott Collins (presenting the bid figures) summarized the contract and related line items and said, “That’s how we arrive at the total $300,000,000, project itself.” Collins described a maximum net construction cost of $218,000,000, alternates totaling $3,207,000, a sprinkler allowance of $200,000, a mural reinstallation allowance of $500,000 and a bidder contingency allowance of $15,000,000 that together produced a maximum contract…