Henderson to consider design, construction team for AHL arena

The Henderson City Council is scheduled to consider hiring a design and construction team for an arena that will replace the Henderson Pavilion.

City staff recommends awarding the project to a team led by The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., a Maryland-headquartered firm that has a Las Vegas office. The council is slated to vote on the item Tuesday.

Renderings in a presentation attached to the agenda item offer a first glimpse of what could come of the 6,000-seat venue.

The Henderson arena, approved last month by the City Council, will be the site of home games for the American Hockey League’s Henderson Silver Knights. The team is owned by the Vegas Golden Knights, which will pay for half of the arena.

According to a city agenda item, the project has a guaranteed maximum price of $70 million. The council approved a total project budget of $84 million to be shared evenly between the city and the team.

In addition to hockey, the arena would host community events such as the Henderson Symphony Orchestra, according to the city.

The project drew criticism after its announcement in February at the annual State of the City address.

Last month, some who oppose the arena kicked off an effort to effectively put the project on the ballot in November. The initiative seeks to add language to the city charter that would bar Henderson from spending public money on an arena to replace the pavilion.

Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.

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