TAVARES, Fla. — “America’s Seaplane City” now wants to get a piece of the action in the arts and entertainment arena.
- Proposal for performing arts center concept presented at city council meeting
- Proposed facade for structure would blend with existing architecture
- City council voted to send proposal to a referendum
- More Lake County stories
Tavares lawmakers have been talking about performing arts center for several months now.
With the seaplane business starting to take off, the three-year-old Pavilion $50,000 away from becoming completely self-sufficient, and storefronts starting to fill up along Main Street, the feeling is the time is right to jump onto the arts-and-entertainment-center bandwagon.
At a Thursday evening meeting, the city showcased its latest concept for a performing arts center inside the City Council Chambers.
The concept calls for a traditional brick facade, which would blend in with existing architecture.
“We listened to the community and we wanted to ensure that we did blend in, but we had a facility that was new to Tavares and certainly identified it as a cultural hub," said Chris Flagg, with the architectural group paid by the city to come up with a concept."
Public comments about the project were mixed. Most were based on who would pay for it, the overall look of the building, and whether or not it would become economically self-sufficient.
In the end, the city council voted unanimously to hold this to a referendum.
That vote is scheduled for November. Meanwhile, the city says they'll provide updates on a project website.
If approved, the new performing arts center is expected to cost around $25 million.