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FPRA sees flexible event center in Sunrise Center fourth-floor schematics; commissioners push for design and cost details
Summary
Architects presented schematic designs for a 7,200-square-foot downtown event center in the Sunrise Center; commissioners praised flexibility and asked to advance to full design and cost estimates.
Architects showed schematic designs Sept. 9 for a proposed downtown event center—referred to as Arena Park or Downtown Park—on the fourth floor of the Sunrise Center, and commissioners signaled support to move toward full design and detailed cost estimates.
Daniel (Danny) Diaz of ADC Architects presented a 7,200-square-foot plan with four movable, acoustical-partitioned banquet/meeting spaces that can combine into a single large room. The scheme included a warming kitchen, a bar, a bridal room, restrooms and a reception lobby off two elevators. Diaz also described material and lighting selections, carpet-tile flooring in high-traffic areas, and a design motif that references Fort Pierce railroad history through ceiling elements and a historical-image wallpaper.
Commissioners commended the plan’s flexibility. One commissioner called the design "highly efficient" and supported advancing to the design phase to produce a full, itemized cost estimate. Officials discussed capacity for large events: the combined rooms were estimated to hold roughly 250–300 people when opened into a single space.
Cost questions were raised. The schematic-level cost estimate offered in the presentation was described as $2.15 per square foot "soup to nuts," which commissioners expressed surprise at and asked staff to verify. Staff and the architect clarified that the schematic estimate did not include reroofing; commissioners were later told the fourth-floor roof (TPO roofing) might require replacement, at a ballpark of about $120,000, and that reroofing would add to project cost.
Commissioners asked staff to pursue a full design scope and detailed, itemized estimates, and indicated a desire to coordinate roofing, mechanical and other systems in a single "soup-to-nuts" design to avoid future change orders. The FPRA said further steps will include scope-of-work definition, full design drawings, more accurate cost estimates, and project schedule discussions before a formal funding request is brought back to the board.
No formal vote to begin full design was recorded; commissioners directed staff to continue with next steps and return with an itemized cost and schedule.
