(The Center Square) – The Everett City Council on Wednesday authorized Mayor Cassie Franklin to sign two professional services agreements to construct a new stadium for the city’s minor league baseball team, the AquaSox.
In September 2022, Everett and Snohomish County passed a joint resolution in support of a new outdoor multipurpose stadium. The Everett stadium project received $7.4 million in grant funding from Washington state to pay for the infrastructure costs associated with constructing a stadium that complies with Major League Baseball’s standards.
Shiels Obletz Johnsen Inc. is the project management consultancy firm that the city approved an agreement with. According to city documents, the firm will be paid $344,400 through Fund 145 until state funds are made available to offset relevant expenses.
The other approved agreement is with Environmental Science Associates, which will undertake necessary steps to complete the State Environmental Policy Act environmental review process for the project. The contract is for $807,421.
Following the city council’s passage, Franklin touted the AquaSox, saying Aquasox baseball games help when there are relatively few options available locally for affordable family fun.
“In addition, the team has a significant economic impact on our area, bringing in millions in revenue and creating jobs, including employment opportunities for our youth,” Franklin said in a statement.
The legislation states that projects of the size and complexity like the Aquasox stadium are beyond the scope of current city staffing.
In July, Everett previously executed a $50,000 professional services agreement with Shiels Obletz Johnsen Inc., which has worked on projects such as ShoWare Center, Lumen Field Modernization, Climate Pledge Arena, T-Mobile Park, FIFA World Cup 2026 Seattle Host City Capital Projects, Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion, Pike Place Market Renovation and MarketFront.
The completion date for the stadium is Dec. 31, 2024.
