The Lubbock Entertainment and Performing Arts Association said the design and construction deadlines were “on track” to finish the Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences by the scheduled completion date, despite a major increase in the proposed budget.
The performing arts center, which is being funded entirely by private donations and grants, was initially budgeted at $85 million.
“Final budgeting hasn’t come out,” said Michelle Stephens, Director of Marketing for LEPAA. “The overall projected target budget is $146 million.”
“We’re still on track with that number,” she added.
Stephens, and board chairman Tim Collins said the center was still in the design phase.
Collins said $85 million had been raised as of Tuesday.
“When you hear someone say that you’re over-budget, it gives you a bad connotation,” said Collins.
“We’re not really over-budget. We’ve made significant changes to the project and to the scope of what we’re going to build, from where we started. We started at 2,000 seats and a small black box theater. We’re at 2200 seats and we’ve added all those other components, Ballet Lubbock, the restaurant, the (Lubbock Independent School District) theater, the multipurpose room. So we’ve made significant changes to the scope of the project and that’s what’s led to these budget increases,” he explained.
“It is a one of a kind facility and it’s what Lubbock needed. We don’t have the capacity to a lot of different smaller facilities. We need one place and I think this is going to answer that and fit the bill for a lot of folks,” Collins said.
He expected the final designs to be completed by late summer or early fall, at which point he hoped to have all fundraising complete as well.
“After we break ground, it should take 30 months to complete,” he said of the project. He anticipated breaking ground in Fall 2016.
