Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Frontier Center topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council hears Frontier Center renovation update; project about 70% complete with majority private funding
Summary
City staff and the Civic Foundation reported the Frontier Center expansion is roughly 70% complete, with major private pledges — including a $4.4 million pledge from Frontier Credit Union — and an opening ceremony targeted for March–April; councilors asked about phases, accessibility and costs.
Pam, the municipal services project lead for the Frontier Center renovation, told the Idaho Falls City Council the lobby expansion and related work are progressing on schedule and largely funded by private donors. “Just a delicate mention that over 80% of this project has been funded with private partnerships, foundation donors,” Pam said, and outlined the project’s legal and committee history dating to an ordinance in April 2016 that created a Civic Auditorium Committee and a 2018 ordinance that allowed the Civic Foundation to solicit gifts.
Pam said the construction contract with Construction Solutions Company was awarded at about $7.19 million and that construction is roughly 70% complete. Change orders to date for construction are “about 0.7%,” she said, and staff have identified additional repair and maintenance work outside the original scope (concrete repairs) that the city may take on to leverage existing contractor access and equipment. Pam told the council the city is estimating the Frontier Center parking overlay will run about $86,000 and that staff will try to use planned municipal overlay contracts to reduce costs.
On funding, Pam listed major sources and pledges: a Frontier Credit Union commitment described as $4.4 million tied to a 50‑year advertising agreement; a city contribution of $1.5 million; $900,000 from American Rescue Plan Act funds; a CHC Foundation grant of $500,000 already reimbursed in September for the upper mezzanine; Civic Foundation pledges projected to bring in roughly $659,386 by 2029; and an earlier Make Family Foundation pledge of $100,000. Pam said those and other pledges put the overall fundraising total “about $8,000,000,” most of it private.
Architect Roxanne Michael walked the council through recent construction photos and interior layout changes, describing new mezzanine connections, large glass insets and a reconfigured ticket booth and flex space. Roxanne enumerated restroom counts to show accessibility improvements: the renovated facility will provide multiple family restrooms and increased fixture counts across levels. On the elevator question, Pam and staff said an elevator to reach all balcony levels was deemed outside the current budget; instead, the design adds railings, accessible entries and other measures to improve circulation for patrons with mobility needs.
Pam confirmed the Civic Foundation will distribute $250,000 to the city in January, which staff plan to leverage alongside interest earnings. She estimated construction completion in February with fixtures and signage installed by March and a celebration in March or April. Councilors asked for further clarification on phase costs (phase 1 auditorium work was cited as $1.8 million, more than $1 million of which was private donations), the split of public versus private dollars (Pam emphasized roughly 20% public and 80% private), and insurance reimbursements that defrayed flood repairs after a May event.
The council offered praise for preserving the building’s historic motif while expanding accessibility and capacity. Pam closed by inviting continued public and private support for future phases.
The council then moved to the next agenda item.
