Arts Center Board Reviews Projects

Parking Deck, Fayetteville Expansion Expected To Begin This Year

— Members of the Walton Arts Center’s governing body look for the city to break ground on a downtown parking deck by the end of the year.

The arts center’s board on Tuesday reviewed an updated schedule for the construction and talked about a campaign to better communicate the center’s renovation and expansion plans with the public.

Design consultants for the arts center and city met last month to work through details of a three-story, 246-space parking deck on the southeast corner of the arts center. The deck is being financed using $6.2 million in bonds backed by city parking fees and fines.

Mike Johnson, University of Arkansas associate vice chancellor for facilities and a member of the center’s board, said city planning commissioners will likely review plans for the deck in April. Johnson said construction documents should be ready in early October, with dirt work beginning in late November or early December. David Jurgens, Fayetteville’s utilities director who is heading up the project, said he expects construction to take 12 to 18 months.

Terri Trotter, the arts center’s chief operating officer, said Tuesday the biggest challenge is figuring out who is responsible for what.

City Council members agreed in December to excavate an area next to the parking deck where new backstage space and administrative offices will go. They also agreed to build the new offices, construct a “shell building” for backstage improvement and pay reasonable rent and moving costs while the offices are being built.

Johnson said center officials are waiting for a written document from city officials detailing what costs they will bear.

Trotter said center administrators will likely move to a temporary location in August.

The multimillion-dollar parking deck is the first phase of center renovation and expansion plans, which include nearly 30,000 square feet of additional space, including a new lobby, expanded Starr Theater, more backstage space, renovation to the Rosen Memorial Rose Garden and new administrative offices.

Center officials estimate the project will cost $20.6 million. They have asked Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion commissioners to commit $8.5 million in hotel, motel and restaurant taxes to the project. According to chief executive officer Peter Lane’s request to the commission, an additional $7.5 million could come from foundation support, $3.6 million from individual contributions and $1 million from corporate donations.

A preliminary timeline for the city project shows construction beginning in the fourth quarter of this year and wrapping up by the end of 2015.

Center officials plan to host informal gatherings with patrons during the next three months to communicate plans for the expansion. Judy Schwab, chairwoman of the center’s facilities committee, said Tuesday there’s still a lot of confusion from residents about what to expect programming-wise once a 2,200-seat theater opens in Bentonville.

“The programming here is only going to get better,” said Jeff Schomburger, chairman of the center’s board. “We’re going to maintain the level of programming and improve the programming, because of the space and flexibility that we’re going to have here.”

The center’s expansion timeline anticipates the Bentonville location will open in 2018.

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