Morial Center Contract Ok'd

[JWR_NOLA]

Expansion should begin in September

Saturday, August 13, 2005

By Robert Travis Scott

Capital bureau

BATON ROUGE -- Construction on the long-delayed fourth phase of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center should begin in September after a legislative committee gave its unanimous support Friday to a new $315 million contract, the project's chief builder said.

John Stewart, president of the New Orleans construction company Broadmoor LLC, said his firm and convention center officials will seek court approval of the agreement in the next few days, and the two sides are expected to sign the contract by the end of next week.

The company will begin clearing the site in about 10 days and begin pile driving next month, Stewart said. The 1.6-million-square-foot expansion, which will create more than 1,000 construction jobs and represent one of the largest building projects in Louisiana history, should be completed in late 2008, he said.

http://www.nola.com/business/t-p/index.ssf...16124232310.xml

[JWR_NOLA]

The current convention center has 1.1 million square feet of exhibit space. The expansion will have over 500,000 square feet.

[alon504]

Great to see this addition coming to fruition. It's been bogged down in legalities long enough. It'll be refreshing to finally see cranes in about a month!

[JWR_NOLA]

Convention center's construction delays end

NEW ORLEANS (AP)

[NCB]

Like alon said, its great to see this all coming together.

Im sure it will look great when it is completed..

[JWR_NOLA]

More eye candy:

[NCB]

I was just wondering...

When this phase is completed, where will New Orleans rank on "the cities with largest convention center's" list?

[alon504]

The addition is awesome, but, the economic projects that this will spur will amaze everyone. I'm beginning to get wind of some of the things discussed and it's amazing. One project has already been discussed and that's the 950 foot tower to be built on top of the Riverwalk next to the Robin Street Wharf. This will be a landmark in New Orleans for some time once completed. But, I'm hearing it won't even be announced for about a year.....

[TSmith]

Alon504, is that a rejuvination of the hotel project that was axed last year that would have been the nation's largest hotel? Or, is this something else?

[alon504]

Alon504, is that a rejuvination of the hotel project that was axed last year that would have been the nation's largest hotel? Or, is this something else?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's the same area and "project." By "project," I mean that this area has been discussed for some time by a variety of developers with a variety of project. The 950 foot tower is the latest for this area and it seems to be the most likely to come to fruition, up until now. We are talking about some world renowned developers with this project....