Dr. P Phillips Orlando Performing Arts Center [Phase 2 Under Construction]

[smileguy]

This was in my email this morning - a new years greeting from the PAC.

[Cleaver5]

Looks like they might be trying to reassure us that things are going as planned and that this thing is on track to be finished.

[Boomer136]

I suppose I'll be going to the update Kathy Ramberger is giving at the new Downtown info center on the 5th of February. Unless miracles of miracles I'm working on that day. We'll be close enough to find out at that point.

[uncreativeusername]

Sigh...talk about an understatement that I think we pretty much all saw coming.

Dyer says new downtown projects could be scaled back, Orlando Sentinel

My $.02 - DON'T SCALE THIS THING BACK. Even if that means waiting for the economy to right itself. We don't need to waste this money on a new Bob Carr. If we're building this thing, it needs to be built right. Anyone who gets it would be willing to sit on their hands and wait for the real deal.

Edited January 14, 2009 by uncreativeusername

[FLheat]

Sigh...talk about an understatement that I think we pretty much all saw coming.

Dyer says new downtown projects could be scaled back, Orlando Sentinel

My $.02 - DON'T SCALE THIS THING BACK. Even if that means waiting for the economy to right itself. We don't need to waste this money on a new Bob Carr. If we're building this thing, it needs to be built right. Anyone who gets it would be willing to sit on their hands and wait for the real deal.

I don't see why our representatives can't get involved and get this as part of an economic stimulus package. All we would need is the government to purchase the bonds at a little lower rate to compensate for the lost revenue to fund the project. It's not like we would be asking for a full bailout.

[RedStar25]

Well I dont get it... The PAC will not start for at least two years. If they think the economy will be back on track then why come out and talk about how the current economy is going to affect these projects.

I say dump the citrus bowl and keep DPAC %100.

[tc01]

I wish they would have approved the venues in 2005.

Edited January 14, 2009 by tc01

[neon9]

Well I dont get it... The PAC will not start for at least two years. If they think the economy will be back on track then why come out and talk about how the current economy is going to affect these projects.

I say dump the citrus bowl and keep DPAC %100.

Well, the obvious answer is they don't think the economy will recover in a year or two, regardless of what they say in public. And I thought construction was supposed to start soon?

Either way, the economy getting worse very quickly didn't stop them from dreaming, so it makes sense to assume that the current economic situation might impact projects for years to come.

[jack]

Well I dont get it... The PAC will not start for at least two years. If they think the economy will be back on track then why come out and talk about how the current economy is going to affect these projects.

I say dump the citrus bowl and keep DPAC %100.

It basically was dumped by mandating that DPAC has to be fully funded before the Citrus Bowl would go.

I do not think that this should be considered under the stimulus package.

[sunshine]

This should be the time to build it when the economy is down to create job. When the economy is good, prices will increase.

[JFW657]

It seems to me they could build & pay for the DPAC in phases. Get the main portion of it started & if the economy hasn't rebounded enough when the first phase is finished, put the next phase on hold for awhile. At least we'd have the beginnings.

Also, I don't think the statement that the economy may take a couple of years to right itself necessarily means construction on the DPAC will also be delayed by a full two years.

If after about a year or so economic indicators begin to signal that things are beginning to turn around & there's a strong lilihood that in another year or so from that point that things will getting back to normal, they may very well decide to begin construction so as to time the completion with the recovery.

Just a thought.

[bulldogger]

When they built my high school (Gateway HS) in Kissimmee, we had a few buildings completed and a few under construction for the first couple of years. The PAC, the gymnasium, and the science building all came online during and after my freshman year.

Same concept that JFW mentions. I don't know why they built my school in that fashion, but it worked and I was happy to be in a new school as compared to the other older schools in the area.

[FLKP]

I agree. Building PAC now would create jobs and take advantage of lower costs.

It would also stimulate interest in Urban Orlando along with Movie Theaters.

Is it considered "shovel ready" to qualify for Stimulus Money ?

[lala67]

does anyone think it might be a ploy to scare donors into opening up their wallets?

The Citrus Bowl renovation is not that popular a project so I wouldn't be surprised if it got put on the back burner, but I can't see the DPAC not moving forward considering the support it has.

[uncreativeusername]

does anyone think it might be a ploy to scare donors into opening up their wallets?

I wouldn't be surprised if it were quite the opposite...the money raised thus far isn't money in the bank - it's been in pledged funds. With the instability of the economy, I can't help but doubt that all money committed to the project still exists.

The idea of phasing this project is interesting. As it was though, wasn't it was already to be built in phases, with the performance space being the first phase, and commercial space being secondary? How would only a part of the performance space be completed? One hall at a time? And I'm not asking to be patronizing, I'm curious as to what the ideas for this are...

[codypet]

Is it considered "shovel ready" to qualify for Stimulus Money ?

It's definately not shovel ready.

[cwetteland]

It's tough to listen to a concert when the pile-drivers are next door pounding away!

[JRS1]

I'm fine with them phasing it. as long as they don't downscale it with no room to expand.

[Boomer136]

This is a guess. Based upon the announcement that things would be different within the allotted land use...

The deal with FUMCO is nixed. (They keep they're newish building.) Office and hotel space is cut, if not altogether, than at a much more conservative level than once envisioned. Educational space will also be curtailed, especially since UCF pulled out.

Of course my donkey isn't acting on a ventriloquist reality, so on this, who knows?

[RedStar25]

This is a guess. Based upon the announcement that things would be different within the allotted land use...

The deal with FUMCO is nixed. (They keep they're newish building.) Office and hotel space is cut, if not altogether, than at a much more conservative level than once envisioned. Educational space will also be curtailed, especially since UCF pulled out.

Of course my donkey isn't acting on a ventriloquist reality, so on this, who knows?

FUMCO recived the money from DPAC a few months ago and they have started asbestos abatement in the old Wesley Building. Demolition is just around the corner.

Again renderings of thier new building can be seen in the Narthex (lobby) of the Sanctuary.

[smileguy]

Our collective thoughts are now official. Got this today from the DPAC people.

Message from Mayor Dyer

Good afternoon.

As a follow up to the memo you received last week and our commitment to an open and transparent process, here is an update on the progress we

[orlandonative]

Haven't posted in a while, but I have had the opportunity to sit in on these meetings regarding the current state of the PAC. The letter above, while not suprising is factual. Based on all of the current data that has been reviewed the project has been delayed 6 months minimum at this time.

They'll run the story tomorrow.

[smileguy]

Editorial from the Sentinel

We think: Arts center can bring jobs, transform downtown Orlando

We think: Arts center can bring jobs, transform downtown Orlando

January 25, 2009 It's easy to feel squeamish about a $425 million price tag on a performing-arts center in the heart of downtown Orlando.

But there are costs, and then there are benefits.

Crunch numbers, and it's easy to see why local officials mustn't dawdle on securing financing for the Dr. P. Phillips Orlando Performing Arts Center.

It will be a great asset to this community. Consider this:

*Jobs: 1,500 in the first year of operation.

*Money: About $50.4 million a year in "direct spending," including tickets, concessions, hotel rooms and other spending by patrons.

*Local benefits: An estimated $244.4 million of the project cost would be spent locally. That means that about 4,400 full- and part-time jobs will come from this area during the construction period.

Those numbers come from a 2006 report initiated by the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission to look at the economic impact of all three venues, which includes an events center already under construction and a proposed renovation of the Florida Citrus Bowl, which also is in financial jeopardy. The figures above, however, only reflect the benefits of the performing-arts center.

Despite the economic crunch, the arts center, scheduled to start construction in early 2010, needs to get built as quickly as possible -- without cutting significant corners.

The big hiccup, of course, is trying to avoid a lengthy delay. There's potential for that because tourist-tax revenues needed to get the project going are down, and there's not enough money to back $75 million in bonds designated for the arts center this year. Because officials expect continued drops in tourist-tax revenue, the arts-center project could be delayed for another three years. A new financing plan is urgently needed.

But there are creative ways of financing that could keep the project on track and avoid the possibility of downsizing the project so drastically that it ruins the vision.

The arts center's economic upside isn't just about jobs and spending money on tickets, though that's certainly significant. The spending would also spur restaurant and retail sales, and out-of-towners getting onto Interstate 4 for a concert or a play. The study notes that about 25 percent of people who go to events at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre are from outside Orange and Seminole counties, and specifically visit Orlando to attend these performances.

The benefits of performing-arts centers isn't voodoo economics cooked up by people pushing these projects. Art centers have been proven winners elsewhere.

Example: The Broward Center for the Performing Arts, which opened in 1991, has become the centerpiece of Fort Lauderdale's downtown redevelopment, which is drawing more than 600,000 visitors a year. The data show that visitors to the arts center are spending $700,000 in tips alone by visiting restaurants before and after events.

There's an intrinsic value as well. It comes from the opportunity to further transform downtown Orlando from a hodgepodge of vacant storefronts, tattoo parlors and bars to a more inclusive area bustling with new energy and business.

Where will the money come from, short of printing cash at City Hall? Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and his staff are trying to sort that out and should have an answer soon, but nothing should be left off the table.

That includes shifting $21 million from the Community Redevelopment Agency from the Citrus Bowl makeover and putting it toward the performing-arts center. While the Citrus Bowl face-lift still has value in a thriving economy, the community's priority during these difficult times needs to be the arts center.

And let's not dismiss the notion of Orlando Magic owner Rich DeVos floating a low-interest loan. Events-center construction is under way, and his team is still on schedule to play there when the venue opens next year. Sure, there will be other events there, but the Magic will be the highest-profile tenant, and the first to benefit from these projects that will give downtown Orlando a dramatic, new look.

How about paying it forward, Mr. DeVos?

The arts center isn't going to come cheap, but a deal must get done. It'd be a shame to flub it, only to watch all that money and all those jobs disappear.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinio...0,7485932.story

[RedStar25]

"That includes shifting $21 million from the Community Redevelopment Agency from the Citrus Bowl makeover and putting it toward the performing-arts center. While the Citrus Bowl face-lift still has value in a thriving economy, the community's priority during these difficult times needs to be the arts center"

Thank you.... Ditch the Citris Bowl Renovation... do it another day.

[lala67]

I agree, using the CRA money to replace the lower TDT funds makes a lot of sense. I'd much rather use CRA money for a public project like this than to build another garage or incentivise another high rise mixed use development.