Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
County approves $2.87 million Brewer Arena ADA and safety upgrades, awards task order to Alrite Construction
Loading...
Summary
The Los Alamos County Council unanimously approved Task Order No. 29 under contract AGR22-18A with Alrite Construction (task order $2,113,060.56 plus gross receipts tax) and established a $2.87 million project budget to replace unsafe structures and add ADA-compliant grandstand, restrooms, sidewalks and parking at Brewer Arena.
Los Alamos County councilors on Feb. 10 unanimously approved a contract task order to rebuild and make accessibility and safety upgrades at Brewer Arena, establishing a project budget of $2,870,000 that includes a 15% contingency.
Project manager Russell Naranjo told the council the task order (No. 29 under service agreement AGR22-18A) with Alrite Construction Inc. calls for $2,113,060.56 in construction plus applicable New Mexico gross receipts tax; earlier assessment, demolition and design expenses totaling $265,177.64 are included in the overall budget. The project responds to a 2024 safety study that found the former pavilion and grandstand unsafe and to a 2021 ADA transition plan adopted by the council. Naranjo said the county received a $150,000 planning/design grant from the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration in November 2023.
Scope changes incorporated feedback from user groups (LOSOWA and LWIG) and include a new pavilion and elevated grandstand with improved sightlines, a dedicated ADA parking area with pedestrian sidewalks, ADA restroom renovations (supplemented with portable units for large events), and crow’s nest modifications. Staff said the revised grandstand elevation (40 inches of slab plus a 30-inch base and typical seat heights) provides clear sightlines above the existing arena fence.
Naranjo described a compressed schedule driven by recent steel-price and lead-time concerns: materials ordering would begin in March 2026, construction would start in May 2026, restroom modifications and ADA parking and sidewalks are scheduled to be complete in time for the 2026 rodeo, and the full grandstand would be substantially complete by the 2027 rodeo (target July 2027); the crow’s nest (announcer’s booth) will finish before the end of 2026.
Representatives of arena user groups praised the revised design but urged clearer process, earlier engagement and better documentation. Lisa Reeder of the user groups told councilors she appreciated the changes but said community members had raised the same concerns earlier and felt ignored: "We brought these things up over and over and were ignored," she said. Another commenter, Wendy Burke Ryan, clarified a technical point: the on-site restroom is seasonally closed (often from late September through about April) because water lines freeze, and user groups had advocated for different restroom options, including pit toilets, which staff said were cost-prohibitive.
Councilor Hann moved to approve the task order; Councilor Herman seconded. A roll-call vote followed and the motion passed 7–0. Staff said any savings from the project will revert to the CIP fund and that the contractor is ready to proceed pending council authorization.
Next steps outlined by staff include initiating orders for long-lead metals and coordination between architect, contractor and staff on submittals and shop drawings before manufacturing begins.
