Downtown Tucsonan - May 2008 - (Page 24)

Loading the Quiver by Lee Allen Jaret Barr, Assistant to the City Manager aret Barr is somewhat like city of tucson’s sous chef. Before the city’s head chefs put any major developmental soufflés in the oven, Barr is responsible for making sure all the prep work has been done. “My job description reads, ‘all duties as assigned,’ so I do whatever I’m tasked to do,” he says. “I help smooth the way for things to move forward, and I’ve probably touched most projects at one point. My role is the easy part support, research, and recommendations. But at the end of the day, city Manager Mike Hein does the heavy lifting and makes the decisions. when he says ‘we’ll work up a program,’ I am the ‘we.’ I load the quiver full of arrows, but he’s the one who pulls the bow.” nonetheless, the Massachusetts native, who has worked on governmental issues for the last decade, is an integral cog in what happens downtown. He’s involved in everything from the mundane to the multi-million. and while glamorous big-ticket items get most of the headlines, he still refers to the downtown infrastructure plan as his top project. “If you don’t have the right bones for a rugged framework, everything else is moot. Infrastructure isn’t sexy, but it offers a solid four corners for further development. utility lines, sewers, and electrical boxes aren’t the stuff people like to talk a lot about, but you don’t first build high-rise buildings and only then wonder if water and sewer systems are capable of handling the addition.” after infrastructure, his priorities shift to the gee-whiz variety. “number two would be the convention center project because of its scale as a catalyst to draw more people into the area. the more people who come here and experience what we already have and are in the middle of adding, the better off we are. the hotel project fills a market need and will be a revenue generator that helps build future projects.” He pauses, looking at an oversized wall map of all downtown project plans, and finally says that museum development comes in third place. “It’s not like a housing or hotel or arena project where there’s enough revenue to work with. Museums and science centers are tough to fund, and the fact that we have the ability through a tax-increment finance district to do that is somewhat rare. so the museum campus approach is another potential draw for downtown visitors to celebrate the history we already have.” His May/June planning calendar indicates completion (or very close to closure) on site selection for the new convention center, conceptual design and operator agreements for the sheraton hotel, and a plan for the Hotel arizona site. Public discussion about the arena whether to build new or renovate the old will begin again soon because the proposed not-to-exceed budget of $130 million has exceeded that figure. “You have to remain pliable,” he says. “I can give you a million reasons why things may not happen according to original plans and schedules, especially when several items are dependent upon each other and subject to a lot of outside variables.” Looking ahead to the summer season, Barr predicts lots of final discussions and designs in the May-June-July timeframe “with a minimum of backhoe activity.” He does anticipate actual construction to be underway on the Post project as don Bourn has gotten everything to the go point including arrangement of staging space for construction equipment. the MLK building renovation by williams and dame continues to make progress. construction permits have been issued for the new train depot market. and progress is reported on a development agreement for the 14 acres on the west side, to be coordinated by Jerry dixon’s Gadsden company. “that’s about as far out as I’d like to go on predictions,” he says. “It’s one thing to look long-term. It’s another thing to stare at it for too long. Right now the focus is on getting J 24 downtown tucsonan.may.08 http://www.azroadrunners.org http://buzzisaacson.com http://buzzisaacson.com

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Downtown Tucsonan - May 2008 Contents From the Editor Downtown Lowdown Vital Signs Downtown Live Arts Galleries Performances Vital Signs Continued Events Film Museums Billboard Classifieds

Downtown Tucsonan - May 2008

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