Heavy machinery is moving dirt on the site of the Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center in preparation for the center’s Jan. 30 groundbreaking.
“Contractors are starting to begin some of the ground preparation, and now they’re starting to bring in heavy equipment and establish some of their lay-down areas,” FMU president Dr. Fred Carter said.
Lay-down areas are sections of the construction site set aside before building begins for the presence of construction machinery.
“All of this,” Carter said, “is a prelude to actually beginning the construction process.”
The contractor for the center’s construction is MB Kahn of Coastal Division. MB Kahn was selected as contractor by the center’s governing board in November after its $27,722,218 bid was judged the lowest.
With the inclusion of alternative projects, such as the amphitheater and courtyard, the cost for the center at the corner of Palmetto and South Dargan streets will be $32,881,000.
“Right before the holidays, there was a construction meeting involving the general contractor, subcontractor and FMU officials and that meeting went very well,” Carter said.
The Jan. 30 groundbreaking will take place at 2:45 p.m. and will feature state Sen. Hugh Leatherman of Florence, Florence Mayor Stephen J. Wukela, a representative from Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation, architect Malcolm Holzman and Carter.
A tent will be set up at the groundbreaking, which will display renderings of what the finished product center will look like.
“Speaking as an old-timer, when conversation about a performing arts center was beginning to come up in the mid-’90s, it’s exciting to see what this will bring to downtown Florence and the whole Pee Dee,” Libby Cooper, FMU’s vice president for public and community affairs, said.
“The groundbreaking ceremony is a wonderful example of a public-private partnership,” she said.
As well as being an addition to FMU, the center will serve as one of the “anchors” within Florence’s downtown revitalization efforts. Other anchors include Drs. Bruce & Lee Foundation Library and the new Florence Little Theatre, both on South Dargan Street. These anchors will be used to attract private businesses and consumers into the downtown area.
“I think this building will be a splendid complement to downtown,” Carter said. “My fellow Florentines will be very pleased with this building.”
Residents of surrounding counties have expressed excitement about the construction of the center, he said.
The center, Carter said, “will encompass artistic programs for the entire Pee Dee region.”
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