Arena contractor Sam Matheny: project still on budget, aiming to open for Mardi Gras

Sam Matheny provided a status update on the city's arena project, telling the Mobile City Council that the work remains on budget though the schedule has been disrupted by severe weather.

"So good news is, you know, we're still on schedule. We're still on budget. We are struggling on the schedule," Matheny said, describing a storm that dropped about 4 inches of rain in an hour and caused damage and follow-up rework. He said the contractor will add an interior night shift for trades to recover lost time once the building is "dried in."

Matheny walked the council through near-term milestones: installing curtain-wall glass on the Grama Hall portion, repositioning a small crane into the bowl to set remaining precast seating, then proceeding with slab and ice-slab work. He said roughly 200 tradespeople are currently working on site and that exterior skin work is nearly complete.

When asked about the completion target, Matheny said the goal is to be open for Mardi Gras in January. Council members thanked him and asked him to notify the council if any new issues arise; Matheny agreed to follow up if there are developments.

The update was delivered as part of the council's pre-meeting business; no formal actions were taken on the arena during the session.