If you’ve been waiting to see what the City of Fayetteville has up their sleeve to entice the Walton Arts Center to build their expansion in town, your wait is almost over.
According to a city staff email, officials will unveil the city’s proposal at 11 a.m. Thursday, July 29 during a press conference in front of the Walton Arts Center.
Update: There will be no press event Thursday morning. The city will instead release details about its proposal sometime Monday, Aug. 2.
WAC officials announced Tuesday that they’ve received more than 20 proposals from municipalities, individuals, and developers thus far, and that they expect to receive submissions up until the deadline on Aug. 2.
All of the proposals will be available to view on the art center’s website the following day.
Mayor Jordan has said on numerous occasions that making sure the WAC expansions occurs within Fayetteville’s city limits is a priority for his administration. Last month, he indicated that he was very confident in the city’s proposal, even after the Walton Family Foundation released a letter stating that they did not see themselves “being the lead donor for a new performing arts facility in a location other than Bentonville.”
Ward 2 Alderman Matthew Petty has also expressed confidence in the city’s proposal in comments here on the Flyer.
The details of the city’s proposal have been kept under wraps thus far, and for obvious reasons. Each of the four major municipalities in Northwest Arkansas are working a proposal, and no one wants to show their cards until it’s too late to respond.
Members of the Walton Arts Center Board of Directors Facilities Committee will begin reviewing the proposals based on the 15 site selection criteria released in February. The Facilities Committee is expected to present one to three sites to the full board for final consideration before the end of December.
If you’ve somehow missed all of this, here’s a link to more of our coverage of the Walton Arts Center’s expansion plans.
