The Lampasas City Council is considering the solicitation of bids for a civic center near Campbell Park.

During a recent workshop session, the council met with architect Jackie Lebow to discuss various proposed designs for the center, which may be constructed in two phases.

The original plan for a multievent center capable of seating 500 people included a stage, offices, a kitchen and storage areas. Under that plan, the civic center would feature a limestone exterior, a tower at the main entrance and paved parking areas on the north and west sides of the building.

With soil testing, a 10 percent contingency and excavation costs for a building pad included in the cost estimate, however, the civic center was projected to cost $2.2 million -- about $1 million more than the budgeted amount.

As a result, civic center committee members asked Lebow to prepare a cost estimate for a center of similar size that would feature a covered pavilion on the east and south ends of the building. Walls could be added in future development stages to enclose the civic center completely.

In a detailed opinion of probable cost, Lebow estimated that a pavilion-style civic center would cost $1.43 million -- still about $200,000 above budget.

Reducing the north wall, using dirt parking rather than a paved area and changing the bathroom specifications could drop the cost of a pavilion-style facility to near $1.2 million, Lebow said.

City officials and civic center committee members have postponed construction for many years because of budget shortfalls, City Manager Michael Stoldt said. Stoldt recommended bidding the first phase of the civic center project so the city can show tangible results from the hotel/ motel revenue designated for a meeting facility.

A two-phase civic center project in Marble Falls, where Stoldt served as city manager, worked well, he said. By starting on a facility now, Lampasas can take advantage of low construction costs, Stoldt said. If work does not begin while prices are depressed, however, Stoldt said the city later might have to pay inflated construction costs on the whole civic center, rather than just on a second phase.

"I think the longer we postpone it, the hotel/motel tax just isn't going to catch up," he said. "Costs [as a long-term trend] are increasing faster than the revenue is coming in. We are not going to find, for many more years, as good opportunities as we have now."

Councilman Evan Stubbs, however, said he hesitates to allocate money for construction until the city has the full $1.43 million Lebow estimated the first phase could cost.

"If we don't have the money to build something nice enough for people to use it, then we're kind of paying to shoot ourselves in the foot," Stubbs said. "If it's going to cost us $1.4 million to build a covered, non-air-conditioned pavilion I just don't know that I'm going to be able to support it."

Councilman Jerry Grayson also expressed concern about construc- tion possibly exceeding the budgeted amount by $200,000. He added that several constituents have told him they oppose building an event center at Campbell Park, which includes Hanna Springs, because of the area's sulphur odor.

"I don't know if you've been down there lately, but with the heat and everything it smelled pretty bad," Grayson said.

Responding to budget concerns, Mayor Judy Hetherly -- who added that she considers the smell of sulphur "part of our heritage" -- said Lebow offered a conservative estimate, not actual bid prices.

Because of competition among contractors for scarce building projects, Stoldt said bid amounts might be less than $1.4 million. The addition to the Lampasas County Office Building, a project recently awarded to Guyco Inc., came in significantly less than county officials estimated, he said.

Bidding the project would not obligate the City Council to award a contract, Lebow said.

Stoldt added that rural development grants that could be used for a civic center may be available under the $787 billion federal "stimulus" package.

Hotel/motel tax revenue has been earmarked for a civic center since 1977, City Council member Wanda Bierschwale said. Mrs. Bierschwale said even if the city builds just a pavilion-type civic center initially, that action would keep the project from getting delayed further. The first phase could spur future expansion of the facility, she said.

"I think what we're doing is getting a seed, so to speak," Mrs. Bierschwale said.

Former mayor Jack Calvert, chairman of the civic center committee, said the first building phase would prove worthwhile only if the city is committed to enclosing the facility eventually.

Councilman John Cole said the hallway between two restrooms at the civic center, if built according to the proposal for the $1.43 million project, may be too narrow.

"You need to make that as wide as you can," he said to Lebow, "and I don't think 10 feet is going to be enough even for that."

Cole said the hallway easily could become crowded during large events if civic center patrons gathered there to seek air-conditioning.

Lebow said the hallway could be widened to 12 feet.

Cole later said the City Council needs to plan for annual operational expenses at an event center.

"I don't think you'll find anybody who says it will cover itself financially," he said.

Stubbs, noting ongoing preparation for a sports park off Farmto Market Road 580 West, added that he would like a list of the city's major capital outlays so the City Council can prioritize its projects.

Such a list will be developed during budget talks -- which begin the first week of August -- for the upcoming fiscal year, Stoldt said. If phase one of a civic center began now, Stoldt said in a telephone interview after the recent meeting, the project budget would include $400,000 borrowed through the hotel/motel fund.

The City Council took no action on the civic center at the recent meeting, but council members will discuss the matter further during budget planning sessions.

Debt service payments are scheduled to decrease by about $69,000 for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2011, and five years after that will drop by another $67,500, Stoldt said. As a result, in either two or five years the city could borrow money for a civic center. The general fund would pay off those debts without a tax increase, the city manager said.