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Orlando's Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center Marks a Milestone

Buddy Breaks Building
Buddy Breaks Building

June 27, 2012 | Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer climbed in a construction digger and helped break down part of the First Methodist Church's old Annex building in downtown Orlando Wednesday. Mayor Dyer was helping to clear way for Phase II of Orlando's Doctor Phillips Performing Arts Center. The site will be the location of a multipurpose theater and home to the Orlando Ballet and Philharmonic.

Arts Center President Kathy Ramsberger also announced a new fundraising goal for the organization of raising an additional $75 million dollars for the project,

“We’re actively now looking at more than 325 one million and above donors.  So it’s not one million dollar donors, they’re 325 potential donors that have the capacity of giving more than a million dollars and we’re working that actively.”

Earlier this week Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs agreed to a deal which helps provide more immediate funding for building the Performing Arts Center and restoring the Citrus Bowl.

Dyers says that will allow new bonds to be issued against expected tourist development tax dollars so that work on the Arts Center and renovations to the Citrus Bowl can happen concurrently, 

“If there was no TDT for 5 what so ever, there’s roughly 5 years of debt service that has been put into a whole variety of reserves.  and the agreement contemplates that if you use any of that reserve whenever the TDT does show up it replenishes that reserve, so I feel very comfortable about that.”

Both the City of Orlando and Orange County Commissions will review the proposed changes to the funding plan early next month.

The first part of Arts Center is expected to be complete in the fall of 2014.

You can listen to the sound of Mayor Dyer taking a crack at demolition work HERE.

 

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