‘That would mean eliminating the theater program and the galleries,’ she said, noting that inflation effects from the Covid-19 pandemic and a prior Council adding an underground parking structure to the new site caused the costs to increase far beyond what was originally budgeted. ‘Covid-19 doubled the cost of construction, and alternative funding didn't materialize because funders just didn't have confidence in the project without clear city commitment.’
The recommendation calls for $30 million that would be added to the roughly $20 million remaining from a 2018 bond package, to cover the current projected cost of $50 million to $60 million.
The Arts Commission joins the Tourism Commission in giving recent support toward the project, which was paused by city leaders last year due to cost increases and disagreement over its design and how it should be built.
Esparza and fellow DAC advocate Lucky Lemieux said the $30 million gap is too large for a private capital campaign to cover, though once the building is paid for and under construction those donations could help pay for equipment and some programming costs at the new facility, which is proposed to be built near the ZACH Theatre.
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