Show Low council directs staff to move forward with design-build procurement for sports and event center

The Show Low City Council voted unanimously to proceed with the design phase and a design-build procurement for the proposed Show Low Sports and Event Center, directing staff to advertise a request for qualifications (RFQ) that will lead to a shortlist of finalists who will produce conceptual designs and price proposals.

City officials and council members discussed whether to focus on the previously presented six- or eight-court concepts. City Manager (addressing the council) said consulting firm input on financial performance required comparable existing facilities, and staff was unable to find a directly comparable facility. Staff recommended proceeding to the design-build procurement and using the design process to refine the final program (for example, settling on a six-, seven- or eight-court configuration) rather than locking the city into a specific court count immediately.

The council discussed procurement timing and expectations for submittals. Staff said shortlisting would yield three to five finalists; the RFQ will include a baseline program (including an 85-by-200-foot arena footprint described in the conceptual materials), ranges for seating and parking, basic systems (restrooms, HVAC) and demonstration of the proposer’s experience, references and financial capacity. Staff advised allowing firms sufficient time to prepare meaningful conceptual designs as part of the selection process and suggested six weeks for the design portion of finalist proposals as a reasonable fast-track interval.

Council members emphasized long-term planning, saying the project should be sized to meet needs 10 to 20 years out rather than underbuilt. The motion to approve selecting the conceptual design and move forward on design-build procurement passed unanimously.