When country folks agree to do something, it is often with the corn pone caveat, “Good Lord willing and the creek don’t rise.”
For the long-awaited completion of the Terry Brown Amphitheater, the caveat is both literal and figurative.
Next month marks the 10th anniversary of the day work began. After an estimated construction cost of $5.2 million, all from state bonds, the project has been stalled for the better part of a decade.
The project stalled when the initial $3.7 million in state bond money dried up. Today, the latest estimate for finishing the facility is $3 million, which would bring the final price tag to $6.75 million.
Next week, the city is expected to finally close that funding gap by providing $1 million from its capital improvement budget. Combined with $1 million from the Columbus Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau and the legislative appropriation, this will be the first time the project is completely funded, at least on paper.
The council didn’t vote on the plan at its work session this week, but has placed it on the consent agenda for its Tuesday meeting, which means it has support to pass without further discussion.
In February, Weathers Construction was the only company that made a bid to complete the entire facility with a bid of $3.5 million, half a million more than the $3 million in hand.
Perhaps anticipating a similar bid when the process begins again, city engineer Kevin Stafford has compiled a list of cost-saving measures – as much as $1.1 million combined. The fact that the city expects to have $3 million in hand this time around will probably lead to a more competitive bid process.
For years now, the city has been criticized for its lack of commitment to a project from which it would be the chief beneficiary. Now that funds are nearly secured, it’s time for the city to finish the facility in its entirety.
In for a dime, in for a dollar, as the saying goes.
That is the commitment the city has to make.
Too much money and too much work has gone into the project to simply abandon it now. And the city must resist any temptation to piecemeal the project any further. Finishing the job is clearly the only option.
Doing so as quickly and as seamlessly as possible will help create a new and far more positive narrative for the amphitheater.
At long last, you might say.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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