Construction 'kickoff' held for Davis Cultural Arts Center
CENTERVILLE — You can't really call it a groundbreaking because earth work for the Davis Cultural Arts Center has been going on for months.
But it looked like a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday at the construction site, 535 N. 400 West, complete with local dignitaries, speeches and a check for $800,000.
Instead, it was called a construction kickoff, an event officials from Centerville and Bountiful, as well as the future tenants of the center, hope will show to potential investors that the project has begun in earnest — that this isn't a conceptual project.
Davis County commissioners presented a first installment check of $800,000 from funds collected from tourism activities in the county. The money, with future payments totaling $1.2 million, is to be used toward construction.
Financing is also in place, and officials are expecting $500,000 to be raised by the South Davis Performing Arts Association, which will manage the theater once it's complete in late 2010.
To add more reality to the project, the Centerville City Council plans to open bids Tuesday on the structural phase of the project, which includes masonry and steel, said city finance director Blaine Lutz.
If the bids are anything like the first phase, the project stands to save some money.
In early May, the arts center's contractor, Hogan Construction, told city officials that the first phase of bids has come in 7.5 percent below construction estimates.
In April, the center had an estimated cost of $14.4 million. Now, the cost is below $14 million, said Centerville Mayor Ron Russell.
When complete, the center will be the new home of Rodgers Memorial Theatre and will include a 500-seat main-stage theater, rehearsal space and black-box theater for smaller productions.
Recent comments
Yay! Lets all applaud a lower-than-expected bid for a project that...
bootheater | May 29, 2009 at 2:53 p.m.
- Visit to paradise nightmarish for Ags 12:32 a.m.
- Utes struggling to shake starts 12:31 a.m.
- Cougars' execution flawless 12:30 a.m.
- Utah Jazz fall apart against Kings 12:17 a.m.
- 3A football: Tigers pull away 12:12 a.m.
- Editorial: 'Immigrant' children needy 12:12 a.m.
- Reagan, Thatcher and the pope 12:12 a.m.
- Cougars come up short of title 12:11 a.m.
- Colorful observations on ethics, more 12:11 a.m.
- Elections offered few new themes 12:11 a.m.
- Gay advocates trek to LDS office
207 - Dirk does dirty work in Dallas
190 - Lobo suspended
171 - Speed has never been BYU's game
136 - Cougars crush hapless Cowboys
128 - House passes health care bill
111 - RSL rallies to advance
102 - Prep football: San Juan vs. S. Sevier
102 - Thousands protest health bill
100 - Provo company innovating engines
98
Why do so many people live so close to refineries in Utah and elsewhere?
NASA's Stardust probe continues to bring new knowledge about the nature...
Nothing proposed would keep young adults from learning of the reality of sex,...
the only "decent" team we played we lost to? I guess that Air Force isn't a...
I am watching the game again, and it is awesome!!!
I can't help but laugh inside when I read comments from YBU/TCU fans who...
(from the independant) I like Dennis Miller.... and Bill Maher, although I...
As a BYU alumnus, I can't justify to myself ever donating another dollar to...
Not a chance. Don't get me wrong they are both studs, but if Asiata wasn't...
Titan Fan, sorry that some of your best players got hurt. I hope they...
So sad how fear based so many are.
Will the Jazz even make the playoffs this year. The way they are playing it...

