Council asked to OK amphitheater increase to $6.6 million
An artist's rendering of the Central Park Amphitheater. By Doug Spoon, Editor The Menifee City Council on Wednesday will consider thre...
By Doug Spoon, Editor
The Menifee City Council on Wednesday will consider three separate staff requests for a combined total of $463,096 in additional funding for the Central Park Amphitheater.
If approved, this would be the fourth increase in funding for the amphitheater, which started as the proposal for a simple shade structure at an estimated cost of $100,000. The proposed increases would raise the total estimated cost of the project to $6.6 million.
In addition, the completion date of the project, which was estimated to be about this time of year, would be pushed out another 71 days.
As the City of Menifee continues to survey residents about plans to create a “unique identity” and attract tourism, city officials are banking on the success of an elaborate entertainment venue that will have regional appeal – and generate revenue.
When the idea of a shade structure over the concrete stage at Central Park was first proposed in 2018, a Capital Improvement Projects report estimated the cost at $100,000. A year later, members of an ad hoc committee including council members Lesa Sobek and Dean Deines requested “a more robust structure.” An approved addendum to the project listed the revised budget at $500,000.
As time went on, a combination of increased construction costs because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the desire of Sobek and Deines to have a more iconic entertainment venue resulted in a dramatic increase in the project and its cost. In March 2021, the City Council approved a conceptual design with T.Y. Lin International that included a shell, separate arch covering, and sound and lighting fixtures. T.Y. Lin’s estimated total cost of the revised project was $3.9 million.
By the time the construction phase of the project with Optima RPM, Inc. was proposed in December 2023, previous total cost estimates were blown out of the water. By a 3-2 City Council vote – with Mayor Bill Zimmerman and council member Ricky Estrada voting no – a construction contract and supplemental management costs increased the estimated project cost to $6.1 million.
Wednesday’s action would add nearly half a million to that amount.
“We have an opportunity to approve this iconic, sophisticated structure that will say ‘Menifee’,” former council member Sobek said at that meeting. “This will give people somewhere to go. They won’t have to go to the Hollywood Bowl. We can sit with our family and neighbors and see local bands and outdoor pageants.”
Residents who have expressed opposition to the expense of the project seem to echo the comments of Estrada, who said the following at that same council meeting.
“I think the money could be better spent on so many other projects,” he said at the time. “I get that it would add a place of purpose, but there’s a brand new stadium at the college that’s perfect for this kind of thing. This is just a big concrete slab with a cover over it.”
Sobek is now off the council, and time will tell whether, as the newly elected mayor, Estrada will maintain his original stance. At any rate, Wednesday’s three proposals – listed within the consent calendar on the agenda – request the following:
Agenda item 10.21: Approve an increase of $220,629.04 to the construction contract with Optima RPM, Inc., and extend the terms of service by 71 working days.
Agenda item 10.22: Approve an amendment to the contract with Southstar Engineering & Consulting, Inc, for an increase of $168,181.
The justification: “Due to the project’s unique design and technical complexities, additional construction management time, inspections, and coordination efforts with the City, design team, and contractor have been necessary. The Central Park Amphitheater is a one-of-a-kind structure, incorporating custom-fabricated steel components, engineered Glue-laminated beams (large wood beams that create the primary support for the shade structure and storage building top), and a specialized Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) tensile roof system. These elements require meticulous review.”
Agenda item 10.23: Approve an amendment to the contract with T.Y. Lin International for an increase of $74,286. Extend the design support services for another year.
The justification: “Due to several unforeseen issues including changes in the sequencing for manufacturing and installing the glue-laminated beams, the construction phase of the project has been extended and is now scheduled to be completed in June 2025. To carry on the project through final construction, project close-out, and As-Built documentation, an extension of the term of the agreement through Feb. 28, 2026, is necessary for as-needed design support services.”
Wednesday’s meeting begins at 6 p.m. at City Hall, located at 29844 Haun Road in Menifee.
