City of Calgary doubles its financial commitment to a project set to repair Werkund Centerformerly known as Arts Commonsas budget estimates for the project increase rapidly.
The modernization of the existing Werklund Center building is the final of three projects in the area, which includes an expansion of the theater space, as well as a
“Modernizing the Werklund Center is essential to making this larger campus successful,” said Werklund Center CEO Alex Sarian. “Our current facility is over 40 years old and, as we all know, the life cycle becomes more and more of a challenge.”
According to an update Monday to the Commons Arts Advisory Committee, $74.5 million has been committed to the Werklund Center modernization project to date, which has left a $270.5 million funding gap.
The city administration has requested an increase in the city’s commitment to the project from $63 million to $125 million in the next four-year budget, committee documents said, as a result of an adjusted project scope and cost estimates.
The move comes as the city council prepares to balance priorities that continue to pile up in the upcoming budget, including funding for infrastructure, recreationAND public safety.
Ward 6 Coun. John Pantazopoulos, who chairs the committee, argued that the increased funding should continue as modernizing the art facility could increase economic impact and revitalization for downtown.
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“This is the kind of project we need to move forward with,” he told reporters. “It’s a cornerstone of downtown Calgary, it’s a cornerstone of our arts and culture strategy in the city of Calgary, and it’s something we need to move forward.”
The modernization project is set to include a redevelopment of the Jack Singer Concert Hall lobby as well as multiple theater lobbies, an expansion in office and arts education space, and increased accessibility for front-of-house and back-of-house operations, according to the city.
The project will also realign the Plus 15 link and include improvements to the public building.
According to officials, the expanded scope of the project and a more refined design has the project cost estimated at $345 million, $75 million more than previous estimates.
“It’s about further understanding what the project is,” said Calgary Municipal Land Corporation president Kate Thompson. “So the more understanding and detail you have with the project, the more detail you get the budget, and that’s where we are today.”
When asked about the significant change in cost estimates, Ward 4 Coun. DJ Kelly said the City of Calgary should look to improve communication of the range involved in cost estimation for city-funded projects.
The most recent rating for the Werklund Center modernization project was Grade B, which can vary by up to 10 percent.
“We need to get a lot better about communicating that range so that when Calgarians know they’re hearing a solid number, depending on where we are in the process, it might not actually be a solid number,” Kelly told reporters.
Although shovels are on the ground on the Olympic Plaza transformation as well as the expansion at the Werklund Center, construction on the modernization is expected to begin in 2029 if the project can be fully funded by the end of 2026, city documents showed.
The Government of Alberta has donated $103 million to the Werklund Centre, and officials have begun lobbying the Government of Canada to match those funds in its next budget. The remainder of the funding will come from the Werklund Center’s philanthropic donation campaign.
“We are confident that as we move into the third and final phase of this project, with all the new information we have as we move forward, that the community will come along with us,” Sarian said.
Calgary City Council will debate the funding request as part of its four-year budget deliberations in November.
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