$11-million Firehouse Theater gets Council go-ahead $11-million Firehouse Theater gets Council go-ahead (January 20, 2006)

Arts Council set to launch funding campaign
by Jeb Bing

The City Council gave the go-ahead Tuesday to planning and eventually building the Firehouse Theater and Arts Center in downtown Pleasanton.

The facility, estimated to cost $11 million, would replace much of the old firehouse Station 4 and fire department headquarters on Railroad Avenue. Built in 1929, only part of the historic brickwork would be preserved.

The new building would house a 250-seat theater, arts and music classrooms and an art gallery.

The council's decision to proceed with the project was qualified in a motion to allow only $800,000 for preparing construction drawings. Kurt Schindler and Ed Noland, principals of the ELS Architecture and Urban Design firm in Berkeley that has that contract, said they would first show their preliminary plans to various city commissions, and then prepare the construction plans for a review by the council in November.

The council has already authorized $6 million in city funds to build the theater and pay for the initial work by ELS. Greg Resnick, president of the Cultural Arts Foundation, is in charge of raising public contributions and obtaining corporate gifts and other grants. With Tuesday's council action to formally proceed with the project, Resnick and his team can also launch their fundraising campaign.

In November, when the construction plans are ready, the council will have a look at how much Resnick has raised and decide how to proceed financially. Resnick indicated earlier that he could raise up to $6 million for the project, which would be enough to fund the theater and arts center. Without that funding, the council would have to decide if it wants to build a shell and the theater for an estimated cost of $7.8 million or advance the full amount of $11 million to build all of the facility at one time.

If the council finds that there has been little or no public support, it could also shelve the whole plan.

A roomful of supporters in the council chambers Tuesday indicated that Resnick has some support. Wearing "Build the Firehouse Theater" T-shirts, they were praised by Mayor Jennifer Hosterman for sitting through one and a half hours of public debate on another issue to hear the council's decision.

Besides the funding, two stumbling blocks to the theater project were noted at the meeting. The council wants to improve Lions Wayside Park in conjunction with the firehouse rebuild, but there's no money appropriated for that work, which could cost another $1 million. Councilwoman Cindy McGovern said she would insist on making the park improvements before opening the theater, which would be located directly west across a drainage culvert from the park.

A parking lot and several other amenities that would be needed by the Firehouse Theater and Arts Center are planned for land owned by Alameda County and designated as a county transportation corridor. Pleasanton has been negotiating with the county for six years to acquire the corridor. But Supervisor Scott Haggerty wants the city to pay up to $10 million for the property, which extends from Ray Street to the Pleasanton Senior Center. He would then use that money to build a two-story parking garage across from the Fairgrounds headquarters building, which he claims Pleasanton improperly used for its ACE train station.

As for funding the entire firehouse project, City Manager Nelson Fialho said "move some resources around, cancel some projects and close out old ones to come up with any shortfall from the Arts Foundation's fundraising campaign to that the project can be built. The council will make that decision in November.

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