The Cubs and the city of Mesa, Ariz., have selected Populous and Hunt Construction Group to design and build the team's $99M Spring Training facility, which "will lead to a clearer picture of how the complex will take shape and allow crews to break ground this fall," according to Garin Groff of the EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE. Populous, which has worked on 118 ballparks, "will work with several local design and engineering firms" on the 100-acre complex. A panel of three Cubs execs and three Mesa officials "chose the winners from among multiple bidders." Mesa Mayor Scott Smith said that "no elected officials were involved during the process." While Mesa has yet to sign a final agreement with the Cubs, Smith said that the contractors "had to be selected first so they can have more than a conceptual design." One "key issue the city and contractors will tackle first is defining the private Wrigleyville West." The Cubs "have sold it as a cluster of shops and restaurants that baseball fans will pass through to enter the stadium -- but it hasn’t been defined much beyond that.” The Cubs “had initially envisioned the new complex would be ready" for Spring Training in '13, but Smith said that "they're now aiming for 2014." The adjusted timeline "would allow for a soft opening in mid-2013 and provide extra time to adjust the design if problems arise” (EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE, 5/25).
