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Main Street Commons prepares to open for downtown events; construction mostly grant-funded
Summary
Lake Havasu City's Main Street Commons downtown gathering space is nearing completion and expected to be open for the upcoming Desert Storm event; city officials said about 94% of the $2.7 million construction cost is covered by external grants and awards, including America's Best Community prize and Arizona State Parks grants.
Lake Havasu City officials said April 4 that the Main Street Commons — a downtown gathering space at McCulloch Boulevard and Aquario — is nearing completion and should be ready in time for the city's Desert Storm event at the end of the month.
Mayor Cal Sheehy recounted the project's funding history: Lake Havasu City won the America’s Best Community (ABC) grand prize of $2 million (2015 competition) and allocated $1 million of that prize to the Main Street Commons. Officials said additional grants and outside funding were used so that nearly 94% of the project’s $2.7 million construction cost came from outside dollars.
Jessica Newton and staff described amenities that will be available at opening — level, accessible turf and vendor electrical hookups at pole locations — and noted that concessions and restroom buildings were deferred to a later phase because bidding those elements proved costlier than building them in-house. Newton said those components are planned for a fall follow-up phase, potentially funded with additional grants and local contributions.
Sheehy described the project’s evolution and complementary downtown investments: an adjacent co-working space operated by the Partnership for Economic Development (PED); a proposed environmental learning center; and plans to grow site amenities over time. He also noted the naming contest process drawn from more than 500 citizen submissions that led to the “Main Street Commons” name.
Officials provided a funding breakdown during the meeting: total construction cost $2.7 million; $1 million from the ABC prize; $1 million from an Arizona State Parks grant; and $700,000 from “WIF” (as stated in the meeting). City staff said additional contributions and potential $500,000 grant efforts were being explored to fully fund later phases such as concessions/restrooms.
City staff encouraged event organizers to coordinate with parks and recreation for organized uses; the site is an open public space but special events require a permit.
