Curtain hasn't fallen on Draper amphitheater

DRAPER — In recent months, theater lovers in Draper have feared a promised outdoor amphitheater would be among the casualties of a housing slump and over-budgeting by city officials.

But the 13-year amphitheater project was thrown a life preserver when the council and a citizen committee agreed to send out proposals for the bare bones of a stage and park to be built in the South Mountain neighborhood on donated land.

They will ask that a stage be built with restrooms and dressing rooms for a budget of about $600,000. They will also require that the facility be built so improvements can be made as funds become available, said committee co-chairman Ken Murdock.

A request for proposals is still a few weeks away, but interested parties are anxious to get designers started on the creative process. And it will take creativity, said council members, Draper's city manager and members of the citizens' committee.

The proposal, called a design/build approach, will ask designers to do as much as they can within the budget, Murdock said.

In March, the City Council voted 3-2 to appropriate $1.2 million for the project. The vote disappointed the arts council, because the project had been designed at a price tag of more than $4 million.

The more expensive plan had been drawn up after a Draper city manager told the citizens' committee the city had $20 million more in its budget than expected. That estimate was made during a period of exponential growth in the city, growth that brought in funds from impact fees and redevelopment contracts.

The new plan replaced older, more conservative plans that went out to bid in 2005. In fact, a simpler proposal had been accepted by the city but was canceled in light of the increased funding.

The citizens' committee is worried that the longer the city waits to build, the more expensive the project will become because building costs are sure to increase.

Now, Draper officials have realized that the manager's estimates were off. He has been replaced by manager Layne Long, who has urged fiscal responsibility and required close examination of city projects.

In light of the new information, the City Council voted on the $1.2 million, about half of which will be used for park improvements on the lot.

It would be irresponsible to spend more money than necessary on an amphitheater when funds are needed for things like economic development, council member Stephanie Davis said at the time.