“It serves a larger purpose,” said Tony Felice, Mesa redevelopment manager. “It’s an economic development tool.”

The facility’s physical construction is proceeding on schedule, officials said. Simultaneously, the grunt work is being paralleled by efforts to develop and find market niches for the myriad events and instructional classes that will be held at the center, expected to open in the spring of 2005.

For now, the 7-acre site between Center Street and Sirrine just south of Main Street still looks rough, with its barricades, scaffolding and earth-moving equipment. But the most noticeable features of the construction project — tall, subtly rounded concrete walls and lower structures thrusting from the earth at odd angles — are clear evidence this will be no ordinary building complex.

“Eventually, that skyline is going to be part and parcel of what people think of when they think of Mesa,” Felice said.

In about two weeks, crews are expected to top out the highest part of the complex — a 110-foot “fly tower” that will be used to rig props and lighting for the largest of four theaters, said Joe McCormack of Kitchell Development, the man overseeing the center’s construction.

The largest buildings will keep their stark gray concrete color after being finished, except for large panels of blue, green and gold stucco that will brighten the upper facades.

Much of the classroom and administration building is up as well, but envisioning the man-made arroyo, tree-lined “Shadow Walk” and lavish outdoor gardens that will evolve from the debris-strewn site is still difficult.

“It’s quite a facility,” McCormack said at his portable office just west of Sirrine. “It’s pretty unique because of all the elements. It’s a complete cultural arts community.”

What the center is ultimately used for and attracting the artists, teachers, music lovers, theatergoers and others is the purview of Gerry Fathauer, Mesa arts and cultural director.

“My most important function is to make sure we keep our eye on the vision, and be able to pull together all the disparate pieces that are going to make this work,” Fathauer said. “We’re really on track.”

Mesa’s art culture isn’t starting from scratch, after all. The existing arts center offers 600 classes a year that will move into the new facility, she said.

Staff members already coordinate gallery exhibits and small theater productions.
Fathauer’s staff will oversee the augmentation of that scene. Additional staff and “programming” — meaning the events that will eventually be scheduled — will still be needed for the two largest theaters, she said.

To find out what residents within a 30-minute drive of the arts center will want to see and do, the city recently paid Montana-based consultant Louise Stevens of ArtsMarket to analyze demographics and “clusters” of similar-minded people in the East Valley.

“That will give us a good read on what particular segments and clusters might be more apt to attend the arts,” said Julia DeHesus, marketing director for the center. “This is where we will concentrate marketing efforts for certain kinds of programming.”

Stevens will be in Mesa in August to work with people involved in the art-oriented groups that will need her data and expertise, DeHesus said.

One of the biggest unknowns is exactly how the arts center will vitalize downtown.

Felice said interest from people wanting to start businesses in the area has increased in the last two years, but the city does not monitor how closely that interest is tied to the arts center.

Clearly, the 500,000 to 750,000 people expected to visit the center annually will need and want to find good places to eat or get a drink after listening to a symphony or watching a play, especially in the evening.

But downtown currently offers few such amenities. So will all those people just get back in their cars and drive home after their visit?

It’s certainly a problem right now, said Crista Cloutier, the director of Segura Art at 51 E. Main St.

Segura Art, located a stone’s throw from the arts center construction site, was voted the “Best Off-the-Beaten-Track Gallery” in the latest issue of Phoenix magazine.

Cloutier said that after some evening art shows her gallery has hosted, she’s been stumped when patrons asked for ideas about a place to eat nearby.
“They need some funky places,” Cloutier said. “Sometimes I get discouraged, but I think (downtown Mesa) has so much potential.”