Downtown Tucsonan - July/August 2008 - (Page 7) D ow n tow n Low d ow n ArtFare Director Tig Collins works with an annual budget of $325,000 and estimates new revenue from school students would bring in about a third of that amount. Not only would the new relationship help the financial bottom line, it would coincide with a goal to develop the 6th Avenue corridor between Congress and Pennington as part of revitalization efforts. The plan still needs the blessing of the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools. Avenue and 14th Street, was shut down due to “structural deficiencies.” Although it had been renovated by the city at the cost of several million dollars and was the scene of many award-winning shows, especially by Borderlands Theater, it was locked up and shuttered, leaving its stateof-the-art dressing rooms, elevators and green room sitting empty and unused. This in spite of what is a severe lack of affordable and available spaces for theater, dance and music in the city center. Today, a fence surrounds the performance space and a construction crew is working to stabilize the venue structurally. Architect Corky Poster created the blueprints for renovation; City Council Member Regina Romero said funds to get it operational are in the proposed 2008 bond and has expressed total support for the completion of the project. FROM QUEST TO WEST ECO-FRIENDLY EFFORT An early reminder that Hotel Congress will again go green in their words, “as we head into another energy-sucking summer.” “We’ll hold our annual HoCo Festival August 29-31, and in an effort to minimize our carbon footprint and raise awareness about alternative energy sources and renewable power, we’ll power outdoor stage lighting and sound with solar energy provided by The Solar Store and Total Lighting Support,” says the hotel’s David Slutes. “This is an inspiring community event where forwardthinking citizens can join with ecological advocates and music lovers to mutually celebrate music and informed energy consumption,” Slutes says. For further information, contact david@hotelcongress.com or call 622-8848. MADDEN RECOMMENDED TO PURCHASE MACARTHUR The City of Tucson’s RFP soliciting bids to purchase the MacArthur Building at 345 E. Toole Ave. has yielded four responses, and a recommendation has been made by the Downtown Tucson Partnership Executive Committee to the Mayor and Council to accept the bid from a local company, Madden Media. Madden made an all-cash offer of $1.7 million and, if given the Council’s blessing, would invest in tenant improvements to move its staff of 80-100 employees from its current office on Fort Lowell Road to the three-story former railroad hotel. Move-in would take place in the summer of 2009. On Wednesday August 20th, 25+ artists will arrive in Tucson for “Some French Friends”, a weeklong celebration of contemporary French art, architecture, music, theater and film. Most of these French artists are from the city of Nantes, a city whose artists have had a long and fruitful relationship with the artists of Tucson. Artists will include musicians The French Cowboy (ex-Little Rabbits), Katerine, Papier Tigres, François Ripoche, Dominique A, Françoiz Breut, The French Tourist, architectural group BLOCK, video artist Pierrick Sorin, visual artists Florian and Michael Quistrebert, film director Didier Poiraud and theater director Hervé Guilloteau. Events will be held at venues throughout Tucson, including The Loft, Hotel Congress, Plush, the Temple of Music and Art, Che’s Lounge, and various locations for site-specific art installations. Over the past few years, Nantes has been a gracious host to local artists including Al Perry, Bob Log III, Solace Bros., Bebe & Serge, Al Foul, Ad Nauseam Project, Pork Torta, Coin, Golden Boots, Electroshockbox, and many others. This August, it will be Tucson’s turn to host and share in the bonhomie that has grown between the artists of Nantes and Tucson. Editor’s Note: In april, the Downtown Tucsonan ran a quote that stated Bohemia artisans Emporium “closed it’s doors.” In fact, after five years in the Lost Barrio, Bohemia has moved to a larger location at 2920 E. Broadway (formerly austin’s Ice cream.) ON-GOING ORATORY It’s been a year and a half since approval was achieved for the alignment of Downtown Links, a roadway north of downtown and 18 months later, discussions on the details continues on how best to connect BarrazaAviation Parkway to Sixth Street near I-10. One of the sticking points on the roadway, mandated by the Regional Transportation Authority, involves how to construct the four-lane road with a grade-separation at the railroad crossing near 9th Avenue without isolating Warehouse District and Dunbar Spring Neighborhood community assets such as BICAS. The 15-member committee charted with recommending final alignment details to the city council has given itself an August deadline to come to agreement on which option is best. Of the eight plans on the table, one being proposed by TDOT and seven offered by neighborhood interests, none would require demolition of the historic Steinfeld Warehouse or the Citizens Transfer building, which houses BICAS, but other public and privately-owned buildings would be torn down if they are in the path of the selected alignment. TDOT officials tout the “3d” alignment alternative as a cost-saver that would allow for more funds to be spent on landscaping, bicycle and pedestrian access, and amenities, and that it is the only plan that meets the RTA requirements without forcing the closure of 6th Street and the Stone Avenue underpass during construction. Neighborhood activists argue that “3d” isolates BICAS, destroys Originate and other businesses, and harms the area’s sense of community. PUT THOSE QUARTERS AWAY Downtown area parking meters have been gobbling up pocket change since 1948 when 450 of the coin-slots-ona-stick were installed. Now a planned upgrade is being discussed, as the old-fashioned parking meters may be phased out in coming years with the emergence of new technologies that collect parking fees more efficiently and take up less space on the sidewalk. The City of Tucson Transportation Department’s ParkWise division plans to start a test run of solar-powered multiplemeter parking pay stations in late July/early August. Initially, the new meters will be found in front of City Hall, near the Historic Train Depot , and on one side of University Boulevard between Euclid and Tyndall Avenues. They’ll be tested for about three months before further action is decided upon. There are about 1,400 spaces currently served by traditional insert-the-coin machines. To replace them all with the new technology would cost in the vicinity of a million dollars. The electronic multi-space meter pay stations take cash or plastic with one unit attached to ten metered slots. ParkWise director Chris Leighton says the system is “more customer-friendly”. The system is also technologically savvy enough to alert parkers through text messages or cell–phone calls that their time is soon to expire, and authorize extended payment, thus decreasing the chances of getting ticketed for time expiration. The system would even allow you to get a refund of the unused time if you leave early. Leighton says that the upcoming Infrastructure and Streetscape Improvement project on Scott Avenue, Congress Street, and Arizona Avenue provides an opportunity to install pay stations on those streets in the next couple of years. FIX-IT FUNDING Construction in and around Armory Park, work that got underway in early May, is in its last phase. “We’ve been replacing an antiquated irrigation system,” says Richard Symchak, Tucson Parks and Recreation information officer. “Total project cost was $125,000 to install new piping and sprinkler heads money that came from the City of Tucson sustainability fund, a fiscal year 2007 budget setaside to be used to upgrade aging facilities.” STABILIZING THE CENTER A decade ago Downtown lost an important venue when the Center for the Performing Arts, located on 6th d o w n t o w n ’s parking meters may be phased out in coming years with the emergence of new technologies. july/august.08. downtown tucsonan 7
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