08/28/2006 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Minutes of the Regular Meeting of Council August 28, 2006 Page 3 The existing site basically situates the building which was an old church and school building, currently the Civic Center at the corners of Wilson Mills and S.O.M. Center Road. The building is designed such that there is a very prominent front entry that has basically fallen into disuse because it is more of a pedestrian access than a vehicular access. Most people coming to the facility enter by the parking lot. That portion of the building has been retrofitted with a ramp so that it is handicap accessible and you can reach levels to get to the theater by using that access. There is also an existing service drive which has potential for use in the theater. Their proposal for site intervention involves expanding the service drive at the back end to create a true loading area that would access immediately to the back stage, taking out a few of the parking spaces to create a drop off and consider adding a canopy in the future to protect the entrance, improving the landscaping and walks to create more outdoor amenities, tying into the Town Center plan that City Architecture is working on to celebrate pedestrian access. They are showing a plaza element that connects directly to that main entrance that is existing so that there can be ongoing events or outdoor activities that take place in that area and use that entrance and its prominence and its front door feel a little bit more. Finally, in order to make the events more prominent, consideration is suggested to having some kind of signage to advertise upcoming events such as an LED sign that might have running letters that can constantly update a display, shows that are coming up, so that people are aware of what is going on in the building. As we move inside the building, the first thing we are looking at is the existing space and how well it does or does not support the intended use. What we are looking at now is a stage area that is approximately 15' deep by 20' wide. That is 18 inches off of the main floor level. With the access to the stairs that do not comply with code, we do not have handicap basis down to the basement through the stage. These are items that all need to be addressed. Things like getting rid of the railing and extending the stage out is what they are going to be looking at. They will also be redoing the floor. There is an awkward path by the entrance. They would like to encourage pedestrian use at the main doors at Wilson Mills. There is a proposed ticket booth in the lobby and an art gallery walkway into the space. The existing altar is not suitable for use at the stage. There is no ADA access to the basement. There is no ability to control sound and light transmission through the house. If you are having a performance and someone comes in through the back door, you are going to let all of the light bleed in. There is currently no ticket, concessions or manager's office. That is definitely needed in order to facilitate productions. There is no ADA compliant toilet. The main entrance is not compliant. They propose to redo the floor so you would come in through the parking lot access or the main entrance to a ticket and concession office area down through the gallery and in through a center cross-aisle. From there, you would go up to seating or down to seating, but you could also access the stage as well which satisfies the ADA requirement for equal accessibility to the stage.