Gila River Arena is set to receive some upgrades, as the Glendale City Council has signed off on funds for a capital improvement plan.
Arena manager AEG and the city are currently working to complete some improvements to Gila River Arena, many of which address basic features relating to security and technology. The spectrum of changes includes expanded office space for AEG, along with upgraded radios and security cameras, a new control panel for the freight elevator, and investments in other aspects of the facility.
The funds were approved at a meeting on May 23, and the upgrades will address areas some key areas within Gila River Arena. More from The Glendale Star:
While the total was $1,149,568, nearly $649,568 was a carryover from the fiscal year 2016-17 budget.
“These are the projects which had to wait to be started at the end of hockey season and which required more time to complete,” said Public Works Director Jack Friedline. “Each of these projects has started, but the payments will not be made until after July 1, 2017, pushing the need for carryover into our next fiscal year.”
Most of the improvements and upgrades requests came after AEG took over arena management in February 2016.
“City staff toured the arena with AEG several times and our facilities personnel work with AEG’s facility staff on a regular basis,” said Friedline. “The projects represent a join effort between AEG (the arena manager) and various city departments, including the city manager’s office, budget and finance, public works, information technology, and building safety.”
Gila River Arena is the home of the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, and hosts other events throughout the year.