The proposed Stanly livestock arena has a new general contractor after a unanimous decision by the Stanly County Board of Commissioners.

MCT General Contractors were approved by commissioners on the recommendation of County Manager Andy Lucas and staff as the design-build general contractor for the arena.

According to Lucas, the county received three responses from its request for qualifications for the construction of the livestock arena. Responses came from MCT in Union County, DR Reynolds in Montgomery County and Samet, a regional company which has a base in the Triad area of North Carolina.

The livestock arena committee, Lucas said, met with MCT and DR Reynolds based on their work in Stanly and adjacent counties.

“After viewing MCT’s work in Union County on their event center/livestock arena down there, the Livestock Committee has made the recommendation the county engage MCT,” Lucas said.

With the approval, MCT will enter into a due diligence contract with the county, Lucas said, “to value engineer and prepare an initial design for a facility.”

The previous design, he said, “was not going to meet our budget. I think, obviously, this contractor will go back to the drawing board and take a look at what they can do for the $3 million we told them we have.”

MCT will come back to the county with a proposal and a guaranteed maximum price, Lucas said. He added if commissioners decide they can not do the project for that maximum price, MCT asks what can be taken off the project and the board is not willing to compromise, “then the project doesn’t happen.”

Vice Chairman Tommy Jordan asked Commissioner Scott Efird about how this contract factors into potential changes to the previous plans. Efird said the MCT project in Union came in at $2.6 million, under the $3 million the county has set aside for it.

Lucas said the plans for the Union facility did not include bleachers, dirt for the arena and some audio/visual equipment. He said his feeling was “you won’t get that building for $2.6 million” and the Board may have to make some compromises on the new plans.

Efird said Union was getting more for their money than what Stanly was doing with just the livestock arena. He said the Union facility had meeting space and kitchen facilities in its plans. Several commissioners have toured the Union facility recently with members of the Livestock Arena Committee.

The motion to approve MCT passed unanimously 7-0.