FAYETTEVILLE -- A major part of the city's Spring Street parking deck project is nearing completion.
Members of the Walton Arts Center Council toured a new "liner building" on the north end of the parking deck Tuesday.
The ground floor and second level of the three-story, 16,400-square-foot structure will serve as administrative offices for more than 30 center employees. The building's basement, which connects to the center, provides needed back-of-house space for performers.
In the past, the center's 165-seat Starr Theater has been out of commission during large productions in the main, 1,201-seat Baum Walker Hall.
The new basement contains additional dressing rooms, wig and makeup areas, laundry facilities, instrument storage, an expanded production area and bathrooms, showers and a lounge for backstage crew.
"We used to have big cases lining the halls where people would change," said Wendy Riggs, vice president of operations for the center.
Little Rock-based Baldwin & Shell Construction began work on the $12.3 million, roughly 245-space parking deck in October.
According to Erin Rogers, WAC spokeswoman, the center is contributing $2.3 million to the project as part of its $23 million expansion and renovation project.
Part of the money is coming from hotel, motel and restaurant tax-backed bonds voters approved in November 2013.
The rest of the parking deck costs are being financed with a separate bond issue, to be paid over 30 years using fees and fines associated with the city's paid parking program. City officials are using other parking revenue and about $2.2 million in general fund reserve as well.
Jeremy Pate, Fayetteville's Development Services director who has been overseeing the parking deck, said Tuesday he expects the deck to open by the end of next month.
Arts center officials are slated to start moving into new office space before then.
"If all goes well, we'll be in on or before the 22nd of October," Mike Johnson, chairman of the council's Facilities Committee, said during a Tuesday board meeting.
The city has been paying $6,000 per month for 15 months to lease space in the Metro District Building, 509 W. Spring St., as temporary offices for center employees.
As for ongoing work to the rest of the center, center officials expect to have the facility ready for a Nov. 6 performance of Me and My Shadow by the Patch Theatre Company. The center's first Broadway show of the 2015-16 season, Pippin, is scheduled to open the following week.
Large portions of the building's exterior will still be under construction during the coming season.
"Essentially, from November to June, it's going to be our hard hat season," said Peter Lane, president and CEO.
Center officials plan to close again next summer before completing all renovations sometime in late fall 2016.
The $23 million expansion project will add roughly 30,000 square feet of space, including a larger lobby and expanded Starr Theater along with the new backstage space and administrative offices.
NW News on 09/23/2015