In order to fulfill voter expectations associated with approval of the May 10, 2008 bond proposition that authorizes expenditures by the district to construct a student performing arts center, the Board of Trustees and district administration jointly create the Performing Arts Center Task Force (PACTF).

Background

In 2008, the PACTF met to fulfill its initial charge to review site and design specifications and develop a list of recommended site selection criteria for Board of Trustees approval. A public hearing was held on October 30, 2008 to gain public feedback on the recommendations. The Recommended Site Selection Criteria were presented to and approved by the Board of Trustees on November 10, 2008.

Following approval by the Board, the district released a Request For Proposals (RFP), and subsequent Addendum, to land owners and developers for a site for the Performing Arts Center. The RFP incorporated the criteria established by the PACTF as well as the district's standard site selection criteria.

The district evaluated 28 submitted proposals, as well as three AISD-owned properties and ranked them according to how well each met the criteria and, while all 28 proposals submitted had strengths and weaknesses, each site's score was an overall assessment of all the criteria. A site located within the Mueller development had the second-highest score based on the criteria (the site that had the highest was removed from consideration because it was no longer viable). On April 25, 2011, the Board of Trustees approved the purchase of the Mueller site (located along Mueller Boulevard between East 51st Street and Barbara Jordan Boulevard) for the location of the future Performing Arts Center.

Prior to the actual purchase of the selected site at Mueller, the district will complete a comprehensive feasibility study. Following positive results from the study, the site will be purchased, and the design phase of the project will begin. During the process, the district will provide opportunities for the community to share its feedback. (Frequently Asked Questions related to the PAC site selection.)

On Tuesday, June 21, 2011, AISD and Catellus Development, master developer of Mueller, hosted a community meeting to gather input on the District's future Performing Arts Center. The PAC Community Meeting Overview Presentation given at the meeting can be downloaded here, and to read highlights of the input received at each of the breakout sessions click here to download the PAC Community Meeting Summary.

Following public input and with the review of the PACTF, the final schematic designs for the new facility were approved by the Board of Trustees on January 30, 2012. With approval of the schematic designs, the District is continuing planning for the project and expects to break ground in early 2013 with completion expected in 2014. Please see the presentation from the September 2012 meeting of the PAC Task Force for the current plans and designs for the center.

Current Work of the PACTF

The PACTF is now working on the second phase of its charge, as outlined in its revised Charter.
Phase II work of the PACTF includes:

• Review all aspects of the selected site for the PAC.
• Review and provide input on the design concept for the PAC prior to the presentations of the proposed design concept to the Community Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC) and the Board of Trustees, through the Superintendent.
• Continue to provide input to staff during the design and construction phases of the PAC project.
• Report, at least quarterly, to the CBOC on the progress of the PAC project, through the Superintendent.