Mesa to continue with stadium

MESA — The Mesa City Council on Monday night is expected to approve a nearly $23 million contract with Hunt Construction Group to begin going vertical with the Chicago Cubs springtraining stadium.

It’s the third in a series of contracts for various phases of the project and for rebuilding adjacent Riverview Park with a new lagoon.

Previously, the Council OK’d spending $424,000 to salvage some of the golf course’s trees, and $8 million for grading and infrastructure work.

Construction is to begin in October as Hunt, the Cubs and the city race toward a completion deadline of December 2013. That will allow a couple of months to work out the kinks before the Cubs begin playing there in March 2014.

Mesa will spend up to $99 million for the baseball complex and the park. In return the Cubs have promised to stay in Mesa for at least 30 years, with options to renew their leases.

The money is coming from Mesa’s enterprise fund, which the city generates through its various business and utility activities. It is to be replenished over time with proceeds from selling Mesa’s land in Pinal County, a potential $135 million deal.

A bond issue on the Nov. 6 ballot would provide money to upgrade Riverview Park beyond what the city can pay for with money currently available.