Peoria Civic Center Authority - Civic Center Exhibit Hall Expansion/Additions and Kitchen Renovation

Expansion of the Exhibit Hall was the primary goal of the Owner, but future expansion of the facility on a small site was carefully evaluated. To achieve this, a Lobby/Registration Area and Meeting Rooms were designed with capabilities to expand across a street; and the roof of the Exhibit Hall was designed with a future ballroom load capability. A basement was provided for much needed storage with utilities for relocation of the kitchen. Once the Exhibit Hall opened, the kitchen was constructed. A corridor from the kitchen to the existing Arena was constructed under the Exhibit Hall floor. This was not too unusual, except that a portion of the elevated slab had to be built strong enough to hold a Caterpillar D-9 bulldozer. (Peoria is Caterpillar’s world headquarters).

The Owner had booked a Bass Master Classic event in the building to be held 15 months after construction started. Originally, the Owner thought it would take 18 months to construct the building, but CPMI and the Owner determined the Exhibit Hall could open within 12 months and be followed by the Upper Level Meeting Rooms, thus giving the Owner three extra months revenue and the opportunity for a soft opening prior to the Bass Master Classic event.

The existing ice floor was replaced in the Arena as one additional project. CPMI was the Owner’s Representative for this project. The floor was completely demolished and new base, piping and concrete was installed in 30 days to reduce the time the arena was unavailable for use.

The Civic Center held all scheduled events throughout construction. CPMI’s staff attended event meetings and kept Civic Center staff up-to-date on construction work. The bids were more than 10% below budget and seven prime contracts were awarded.

CPMI provided financial, schedule and critical issue reports to the Owner. Minority utilization was strongly encouraged on this project and CPMI assisted the Owner in reporting methods and contractor compliance.