Of the three new downtown entertainment venues being rebuilt, the arena proved to be the most controversial of the three. But it seems like the selection committee, made up of representatives from the Magic and from the city, may have chosen their developer, Hunt Construction Group who was responsible for building the NBA’s newest basketball arena.

Hunt Construction Group ranks top among the three companies and joint ventures competing for the job and this ranking almost guarantees their selection as the prime contractor on the city’s $480 million arena. The company has extensive experience and according to Magic Chief Operating Officer Alex Martins, “Over the last decade in particular, they’ve been one of the leaders in the number of sports facilities they’ve worked on.” Repeatedly ranked first in sports-facility construction, some of Hunt’s projects include the Charlotte Bobcats Arena, Orange County Convention Center expansion, Conseco Fieldhouse

home to the Indiana Pacers, and the San Antonio Spurs’ AT&T Center.

Included on their team are four local companies, RL Burns Inc., HZ Construction, Rey Group and Albu & Associates which satisfies the city’s requirement of including minority- or female-owned firms on the proposed team. Theses local companies will also provide local flavor to the proposal. RL Burns is even located in Parramore, the impoverished community where the arena will be built. One of the reasons Mayor Buddy Dyer was able to convince politicians to support the arena was by promising that Parramore would benefit from the project’s construction.

Hopefully the new arena will promote other development in the Parramore neighborhood, bring in more big name entertainment, and increase revenue for the city not to mention be a new home for the Orlando Magic. For $480 million, it better.

post by Leslie