City Council approves additional amphitheater funding

Editor's note: This article includes an updated chart of the funding breakdown.

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Three staff requests with “change orders” for an additional $463,096 in funding for the Central Park Amphitheater were unanimously approved without discussion by the Menifee City Council Wednesday night.

As stated in a Menifee 24/7 news article before the meeting, the items were listed on the consent calendar. As such, they were included with 20 other items considered by staff to need no separate discussion before approval. One other item was pulled for discussion by council members, but the remainder were approved in one unanimous vote by the five council members.

There was no opposing discussion by residents, either. More than 100 comments were made by residents on the Facebook posting of the last news story – almost entirely against the project and the revised $6.6 million estimated cost. No public comments were made at the meeting, however.

Mayor Ricky Estrada, who voted against approval of the construction contract and a $6.1 million price tag in December 2023, joined the others in a unanimous “yes” vote this time.

Menifee 24/7 left messages for all five council members Thursday seeking comment. Only Mayor Pro Tem Bob Karwin responded.

Karwin acknowledged that $463,000 is a lot for a total of three change orders. (City Manager Armando Villa can authorize any changes up to $50,000, but those higher must be approved by the council). However, he stated that the revised $6.6 million price tag is still below the budgeted amount of $7.3 million. That was approved in December 2023 when the $5.1 million construction contract was awarded.

“With these three amendments, the full cost of the project is still about $158,000 below that amount, so we are still within budget,” Karwin said in an email. "We are working with these vendors to negotiate these amendments, but we want our residents to be able to enjoy this amenity sooner than later.

“Is it still worth it? Again, the cost is still within the originally approved budget range, so the value consideration has not changed. Phil [Southard] and our executive team can give you more details on the funding sources and the restrictions on the various funds, but I can tell you that this is not $7 million out of our general fund budget.”

Here is a current breakdown of the funding sources. The chart includes a $2 million contribution from Waste Management that is restricted to use for parks and recreation.

Southard, the City’s Public Information Officer, said that 96 percent of the project is funded by restricted and one-time funds (43 percent restricted, 53 percent one-time). He provided the following statement to Menifee 24/7:

“The total amount budgeted for the project is just over $7.3 million and the combined total of each of the amendments presented to the City Council were within the planned contingency established for the project and did not require a budget amendment. The technical design of the amphitheater is very precise and the amendments included a change of the sequencing for the installation of the glue-laminate beams to ensure that the exact survey points for the beams were in place before they were manufactured.

“The majority of the funds utilized for the construction of the amphitheater are restricted to park development and could not be used for road infrastructure projects, and one-time funding sources that could not be used to support ongoing operations. After adjusting for inflationary costs that have occurred in the last 10 years, including an increase in general construction costs of more than 40 percent, the cost to construct the Central Park Amphitheater is in line with other comparable projects within the region in the last decade, including the amphitheaters completed by the cities of Murrieta and Moreno Valley in 2021.

“The continued uncertainties in our national economy are continuing to impact the local prices of construction materials, and making funding decisions on projects now can further help minimize potential cost increases in the future.”

The City of Menifee is conducting an online survey to receive input from residents about what they would like to see as attractions in the amphitheater. Here is the link:

Central Park Amphitheater Survey

Southard summarized the vision city officials have for the amphitheater:

“The Central Park Amphitheater will be a one-of-a-kind facility that will serve as an iconic entertainment venue for outdoor concerts and theater productions for families in our community. The project supports creating a greater sense of place and unique identity that were identified as priorities for the community in the Parks Master Plan and the 5-Year Strategic Plan. The amphitheater will be further supported by the Paloma Wash Pedestrian Bridge and the City Hall parking lot currently under construction.

“All of these elements are working together to create a true, walkable town center for our community. The Central Park Amphitheater Ad Hoc Committee comprised of City Council and Parks, Recreation, and Trails Commission members has also been actively working to ensure that the venue will bring quality programming to our community.”