The study would look at whether the former Lewisville ISD administration building at 1800 Timber Creek Road could be modified to fit the town’s needs for a cultural arts center.
The contract with the firm of Oxley, Williams, Tharp Architects PLLC will cost no more than $26,400, according to meeting documents. That cost is also eligible for reimbursement from the Texas Commission on the Arts, according to J.P. Walton, assistant to the town manager.
The town purchased the administration building along with an adjacent natatorium and communications building from the school district last year. The natatorium and communications building were torn down last summer.
According to Walton, the feasibility study is limited to this specific site, which is next to the Leonard & Helen Johns Community Park.
The study will look at the building’s existing structural components, provide conceptual design options and put together cost estimates that compare its renovation with new construction, according to town documents.
“This is going to give us an idea of what it’s going to look like, where can it go, how it would look on the site,” Walton told council members.
The feasibility study is part of the town’s broader cultural arts master plan, which was approved in October 2018. That plan recommended the town develop a cultural arts center, documents show.
Council members say the bigger question of whether the town should build and operate a cultural arts center has yet to be decided.
“Whether or not we ultimately decide to move forward, I think it’s going to be pretty important to know whether or not we can use that building,” Council Member Adam Schiestel said.
