Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Council to see plans for arena

Marketplace \| Services \| Contact Us \| Community \| Arts & Entertainment \| Local Guides

Tuesday, May 22, 2001
Council to see plans for arena
Councilmembers worry about purchasing land
By Samuel Segrist
Caller-Times

   Plans to run a road around the Watergarden and build an arena next to the Bayfront Plaza Convention Center go before the City Council today.
   The biggest concern, council members say, is how to pay for the planned development.
   "I think it's a great layout, a lot of stakeholders have looked at it and given it their approval," said Councilman John Longoria.
   "I just hope that we can afford what we design."
   The City Council will view a presentation on the preliminary master plan for the $35 million downtown arena.
   It's the second time designers have put the plan before a group for input.
   In other action, council members will consider final passage of a proposed animal restraint ordinance that would make it illegal to permanently tie a dog to a single yard post and to leave a dog unrestrained or leashed to a single point in the back of a pickup.
   The meeting begins at 2 p.m. today in the City Hall Council Chambers at 1201 Leopard St.
   Residents voted in November to assess a one-eighth cent sales-tax increase to pay for the arena, which will be used for concerts, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi sporting events and the IceRays hockey franchise.
   The arena originally was planned for construction on city property, but designers decided to take advantage instead of the mostly vacant, privately owned lot to the south of the Bayfront Plaza Convention Center and along Shoreline Boulevard.
   It was decided the bayside location fit better with plans to connect the venues in the area and was a better spot to show the stadium off to the public.
   In the master downtown development plan, the area could become the city's entertainment focal point.
   A proposed circular road with sidewalks would start at Shoreline Boulevard and wrap around the Watergarden to Chaparral Street, connecting museums and the Harbor Playhouse.
   The arena land, which the city hasn't purchased and isn't figured into the price of the facility, is bordered by Shoreline Boulevard, Resaca Street and Water Street.
   "If we have $35 million and we have to spend some of that on land, we might not be able to build what we've planned," said Councilman Mark Scott.
   City Manager David Garcia said that he understood the Council's concerns and that the city and the architectural team designing the arena will do its best to keep a lid on the costs.
   "We have a very strong management team and a project manager who is charged specifically with managing the cost and ensuring that our estimates are in line," Garcia said.
   After today's meeting, city leaders and local business owners will schedule another meeting to discuss possible changes to the plan, then, the design team can move forward with blueprints.
   The design phase, awarding of contracts and blueprint phases are expected to last about 17 months.
   The construction phase is expected to last another 18 months, meaning the scheduled arena completion will be near the spring of 2004.


Contact Samuel Segrist at 886-3764 or segrists@caller.com

| Talk about this story | Next Story | Home |

[ Printer-friendly version ]
[ Subscribe to newspaper ]

SEND THIS PAGE TO A FRIEND