Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Tpac Renovation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Topeka committee approves accelerated renovations at TPAC, moving funds into 2025
Summary
The Public Infrastructure Committee approved a CIP amendment to advance TPAC (Topeka Performing Arts Center) renovations into 2025 while HVAC work exposes ceilings, adding lighting, power and finish upgrades; the work will add about three to four months to the project timeline.
The Topeka City Public Infrastructure Committee on Jan. 31 approved an amendment to a capital improvement project to pull previously scheduled funds into 2025 for renovations at the Topeka Performing Arts Center (TPAC).
The amendment moves funds from 2026 and 2027 into 2025 so TPAC can add lighting, power and interior finish upgrades to basement and first-floor spaces while those areas are already exposed for an HVAC project. Deputy Director Jason Tryon told the committee the work would use the current on-site construction team and would add about three to four months to the overall TPAC improvement schedule, pushing likely completion into late summer or fall.
The committee approved the amendment after TPAC’s new executive director, Dan Case, described planned upgrades that include adding IT and power infrastructure in walls while ceilings are exposed, upgrading lighting to LED fixtures that allow color control for events, and improving a VIP/reception area with plumbing and refrigeration. Case also described two alternates to the base proposal: adding two box-office locations in the front foyer to improve security and ticket sales flow, and extending LED lighting into the black-box space to increase theatrical capabilities.
Tryon said the amendment simply accelerates money that had been budgeted in later years, leaving additional future improvements for later review by the governing body. He also said the work leverages the already-exposed ductwork and piping created by the HVAC project to avoid re-opening finished areas later.
Council discussion focused on HVAC and schedule impacts; Councilman Neil Dobler asked technical HVAC questions that were addressed by staff. After a brief presentation and public comment from Case, Councilwoman Ortiz moved approval and the motion was seconded. The committee vote was recorded as 2–0 in favor.
No dollar amounts for this specific amendment were stated on the record in the transcript; alternate items were described as increasing cost but the base cost was said to be in line with earlier April estimates. The committee did not adopt any amendments to the scope during the meeting; staff said any future phases would return to the governing body for approval.
TPAC’s upgrades are intended to increase the facility’s capacity for presentations and banquets, add modern multimedia capability, and create additional service locations that could generate new revenue streams for the venue.
