SAPAC Project Hinges on Funding

For many years art aficionados have desired a home for the variety of arts in San Angelo. In October, a block party showcasing the local arts was hosted by the San Angelo Performing Arts Coalition (SAPAC) to raise more awareness of their plans to build a performing arts center and renovate the City Auditorium.

The purpose of the SAPAC block party was to energize the community’s love of art to get the final funds needed to reach the estimated $13.5 million needed by January.

“We’ve raised $11.7 million, including the Health Foundation Grant,” said Matt Lewis, Board Member of SAPAC from the San Angelo Area Foundation. “We’re within $400,000 of getting started on this project and getting started on the renovation of the City Auditorium.”

The slight problem however, is that SAPAC needed to raise enough money to match the $1.5M grant from the Health Foundation by December 31, 2013 in order to keep the grant. Fundraising fell short. Lewis, however, is confident that it won’t be a problem to regain the grant should they raise the $400,000.

“We’re really close, so we talk to the Health Foundation and they have been great at saying ‘we’re in support of this project,’” Lewis explained. The reason SAPAC is a lot closer than expected is that the final estimates from architects have put the center and renovations under budget.

According to Lewis, the original $13.5 million needed has dropped to $12.4 million now that all of the estimates have been completed. Part of the reason is due to the good condition of the Coca-Cola Warehouse SAPAC plans on remodeling.

“The building is in very good condition,” said Lewis. “There’s a lot of stuff we won’t have to do.”

For example, they won’t have to build a million dollar loading dock because there are already docks on the building.

While that makes reaching the intended goal much easier, it's not a sprint to the finish line, Lewis explained.

“Getting the last couple [million] is the hardest, the people who really want it are already onboard,” he explained.

Lewis is confident in San Angelo though, and expressed that he believes that this project will follow through.

“I think people are very supportive of redoing the auditorium and the new center,” Lewis said. “I think when construction starts and people start seeing what’s going on, people are going to get energized.”

According to Lewis, getting the City Auditorium open again, as well as building the new center will complement other downtown happenings, as well as add more arts to the already art-centric aspects of downtown, like the art museum and Fort Concho.

Should SAPAC reach their goal soon, groundbreaking could be as early as May, and Lewis expects the first performance could be as early as fall 2015, or early 2016.

While the main method of fundraising is one-on-one asking, Lewis reiterates that anyone can donate any amount on www.sa-pac.com.