Casa Grande, Arizona
How long does it take to build a 59,000 square-foot sports complex? Usually years. But in Casa Grande, AZ, (pop. 51,478) under the leadership of Deputy City Manager Larry Rains, the Casa Grande Performance Institute was finished in 119 days. How did it happen?
The Casa Grande Performance Institute, a public-private partnership between the city of Casa Grande and the Francisco Grande Resort & Hotel, is located on 50 acres of land adjacent to Francisco Grande. The state-of-the-art, multi-discipline sports facility, which includes six football and soccer fields, is open 365 days a year. The facility also houses an 11,200 square foot weight-training exercise area, eight semi-private therapy centers, and enough classrooms, locker rooms, meeting rooms, and laundry facilities for four teams.
The accelerated and demanding time schedule was necessary in order to complete the project in time for the start of the United Football League’s (UFL) inaugural season, when two of the UFL teams used the facility as their training and practice home. Four Major League Soccer (MLS) teams have also trained at the CGPI, with more teams expected in the near future.
Because of the importance of the project and the compressed construction schedule, it was necessary to have the involvement of an executive level decision-maker. Deputy Manager Larry Rains was asked to step into this position to guide the design, development, and implementation of the project. He spent many late nights and weekends at the CGPI, overseeing construction details that would normally be reserved for a project foreman or on-site developer. He adapted to pressing situations and made quick decisions when such were necessary. Without Rains’s direct involvement and supervision, the CGPI could have faced delays that would have had catastrophic effects on the city’s relationship with the UFL, thereby threatening the success of the project.
Meet the Manager
