By NATE KING
Salina Post
City Lights stage, located at the corner of Ash Street and Santa Fe Avenue in Salina, is one step closer to possibly receiving a shade structure. That was the consensus at the Salina City Commission Study Session held on May 13.
In May of 2023 City staff, including Salina Public Works led by Director Jim Teutsch, began preparing presentations for a possible shade structure at City Lights stage.
"To Jim's credit he did quite a bit of work in terms of investigating options and talking to vendors and trying to price things out," said Salina City Manager Mike Schrage. "We've had ongoing conversations with the Salina 2020 group and they have some insight into aesthetic options or alternatives."
Guy Walker, representative of the Salina 2020 Group spoke during the work session, providing commissioners with multiple different options.
"I wanted to make sure that we're here not to say, 'This is exactly what we think should happen," Walker said. "We really wanted to take what Jim and the rest of the City Staff have done and maybe just build on it a little bit. Think about the sense of place at the end of Santa Fe; that's an important corner."
Walker said the projected end goal would be a permanent shade structure to keep concert audiences cool for concerts and shoppers and producers cool for the upcoming Downtown Farm and Art Market.
Walker presented commissioners the following options:
Option One
"This [Option 1] is similar I would say kind of to what the hotel [Homewood Suites] has covering the courtyard," Walker said. "It's a steel structure with polycarbonate panels. The cool thing about the polycarbonate panels is you can pick the color, you can pick the transparency, and how much light and therefore how much heat it will let through. It's really flexible in that way."
Option Two
Walker said option two would include larger landscaped islands in the parking lot.
"The landscaped islands, which looks nice, but it does take away from the amount parking and also the spaces for the vendors for the Farm and Art Market," Walker said.
"These are the two ideas that I think make it appealing and inviting for people and make it attractive when people drive by," Walker said. "Most of the time it's going to be a parking lot. There's going to be a farm and art market once a week and used for concerts, and things like that, but obviously, most of the time, it's a parking lot so it still needs to serve that purpose."
How much is this going to cost?
Walker presented budget figures from two different vendors. The first vendor, Kalwall, headquartered out of New Hampshire, gave the Salina 2020 Group solid numbers to go off of.
"Those are pretty hard bids for the center row of columns," Walker said. "So for Canopy A, which is the larger one that covers a double stack parking, would cost $550,000 and then the canopy that covers the west side row is $317,000."
The other vendor, StructureFlex, headquartered out of Merriam, Kansas.
"They did not give a hard estimate but they gave us pretty solid pricing numbers of $ 125 per square foot of coverage for the structure and the film and $25 per square-foot for footings and foundations. So a total of $150 per square-foot."
With those preliminary numbers, Walker said StructureFlex would be able to do the project at a cost of $600,000 for canopy A and $345,000 for Canopy B.
Walker said one difference between Kalwall and StructureFlex was the materials they use to create the shade.
"StuctureFlex uses a flexible fabric, rather than polycarbonate panels," Walker said. "The downside is, it is perhaps not as durable and you don't have as much of a warranty. The positive is because it is flexible you can do any shape you want."
From Salina 2020's perspective, the tax increment financing (TIF), the funds expected to be used for the project is outperforming expectations.
"Talking about funding options, the TIF is outperforming everyone's expectations," Walker said. "Actually more so than I even realized."
The Salina 2020 Group projected the TIF would collect $4.9 million throughout its entire life of 20 years. Within just five years of its lifespan, the TIF has collected $4 million.
"It's like 90% of the way to where our projections were only five years in," Walker said. "There's going to be a lot of excess money and from Salina 2020's perspective, we're thinking all these businesses and property owners are paying more property taxes and so we feel like those dollars should just continue to be reinvested in the downtown area to help benefit those same property owners who are kind of footing the bill for it."
Salina Mayor Bill Longbine mentioned that the cost estimates for the two vendors presented at the meeting were significantly less money than the fabric sails presented to commissioners a year ago.
"We had several plans that covered more of the parking lot," said Deputy City Manager Shawn Henessee. "So I think the maximum plan covering most of the parking lot was closer to that $1 million and then as we backed it off, you know, per square foot it became less."
Commissioner Hoppock put into perspective the project scope and where money would be coming from to pay for the project.
"We're generating sufficient income to do this and reinvest in our downtown," said Commissioner Mike Hoppock. "What the taxpayer needs to realize is this isn't coming out of property taxes from the general public it only comes out of the property tax increment downtown."
Impacts on Downtown Salina
Leslie Bishop, executive director for Salina Downtown Inc. shared how the shade structure would help downtown.
"I think that it would allow us to do some additional events with the coverage," Bishop said. "For example, we do a holiday art market at the Salina Art Center Warehouse and we are outgrowing that space."
Bishop said she spoke with Darren Morrawitz, director of education at the Salina Art Center, about the idea of bringing that art market event in November to the corner of Santa Fe Ave. and Ash Street.
Bishop said the addition of a shade structure will encourage more attendance at concerts held at City Lights Stage.
"I think it can be a real benefit to our numbers [event attendance]," Bishop said. "If you come to any of our LIVE First Friday events or special concerts, you would think there was nobody there, until you look at the shade line and see that is where everyone is."
Bishop voiced her appreciation to City Staff and City Commissioners for revisiting this project.
"If the Farm and Art Market goes the way we really think it will, it will allow more artisans and vendors to come that don't have a canopy. It does offer the opportunity for us to do a few more things to add to the vibrancy of our downtown," Bishop said.
Commissioners voiced their receptivity to the project concept. Shrage said City Staff will work out the agreement in partnership with the Salina 2020 Group and will bring it before the City Commission for further discussion and approval.