SAN ANTONIO - This week the San Antonio City Council will vote on the largest single city construction project in history.
Thursday, Council will consider a $304-million contract with Hunt-Zachry to design and build an expansion to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.
The expansion will take the city’s convention center from the 23rd largest to the eighth largest in the country.
“The convention center project is about keeping our product first rate so we can compete for major business," said City Manager Sheryl Sculley.
Councilwoman Elisa Chan, while in support of the expansion, said the city could save tax dollars by out-sourcing more of the project rather than hiring additional employees.
“Everyone is tightening their belts, and I think the city needs to do the same,” she said.
Sculley said a project of this magnitude needs to have city employees involved as stewards of the city’s money. She said Chan's plan would have actually cost the city more.
If Council approves the Hunt-Zachry bid on Thursday, construction will begin in March.
The expansion project is set to be completed by 2016.
