|
 On
April 11, 2002, the final Schematic Design plans were presented to
Tempe City Council for approval. Almost one year later, on April 22,
2003, Mayor Neil Giuliano and members of the City Council donned hard
hats as the first ground was turned during the
Ground Opening
ceremony to kick off the site preparation phase of the TCA project.
"This is an awesome
day," Mayor Giuliano said. "This is the first step toward
the construction of this brand new, one-of-a-kind Tempe Center for the
Arts. It shows Tempe’s ongoing commitment to the arts. This facility
will be the crown jewel of Tempe Town Lake."
Local contractor Haydon
Building Corporation has been secured to remove about 113,000 cubic
yards of material from the TCA site – a former landfill area. The
existing materials will be removed and properly disposed. Suitable
fill will be returned to the foundation area of the building
footprint. In addition, a 108-inch diameter storm sewer, which runs
under the site, will be relocated to avoid the primary structural
support points for the Center for the Arts. The entire site
preparation phase is scheduled for completion in the Fall of 2003.
In other TCA news, a
review of Construction Documents at the 65 percent stage has recently
been completed. Cost estimates at this stage indicate that the project
remains on its approved $63 million budget. ARCHITEKTON, Barton Myers
Associates, Kitchell CEM and
city of Tempe staff have been actively
involved in monitoring the TCA budget and schedule to assure adherence
to the prescribed project parameters.
The Tempe Center for the
Arts, to be located at 700 West Rio Salado Parkway, will house a
600-seat proscenium theater, a 200-seat studio theater, 3500 square
feet of gallery exhibition space, and a finely appointed multi-purpose
room. It will provide performance space for several Tempe
organizations including A. Ludwig Dance, Childsplay, Tempe Little
Theatre, Tempe Symphony Orchestra, Tempe Community Chorus, Arizona
Renaissance Theatre, and many other performance organizations.
The Tempe Center for the Arts is being funded through a dedicated
sales tax
passed by Tempe voters in May 2000.
Contact: Don
Fassinger,
Cultural Facilities Administrator ~ 480.350.2881
Tempe Center for the Arts ~
700 W. Rio Salado Parkway ~ Tempe, AZ 85281
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