UNION — According to the board of directors, a number of questions regarding the Union Events Center Project will be answered within the next 90 days.
Bob Love, Union Events Center Board of Directors chair, spoke to Union City Council during a meeting Tuesday night to provide council with a project update.
Love pointed out that in a meeting held July 25, council gave the events center board permission to spend up to $10,000 with First Community Development — a consulting firm in Norcross, Ga. Love said the firm specializes in helping such projects get the money they need to come to fruition.
Love pointed out the objective of the proposed Union Events Center with a simple statement:
“To create a nice facility for public events, which we currently do not have.”
The proposed 25,000 square-foot, two-story events center has been part of the city’s long-range plans for more than a decade and is seen by local officials as a means of drawing people back to Downtown Union.
At this point, the board of directors has raised nearly $2.5 million for the project, with a final $1.6 million to go.
“It has been difficult to raise these funds, and we’ve been grinding the wheel pretty hard,” Love said.
That is where the assistance from First Community Development comes in. Love said the firm has been excellent to work with, and that they have set up several appointments with public corporations in anticipation of approval. He specifically mentioned BMW and Sloan Construction.
“First Community has a lot of contacts,” Love said. “They were able to secure a meeting with BMW right away.”
Council members asked Love about a time table for the last leg of the fund raising.
“I don’t anticipate this thing going over three months,” Love said. “After we see three or four major donors in the next few weeks, we will be able to answer more questions. In 90 days, we’ll know where we stand.”
Mayor Harold Thompson said a special called meeting will be held concerning the events center.
Other items discussed at Tuesday’s meeting included the following:
- Meansville-Riley Water Company’s request for an alternate source of water
- A new vehicle lease for the Department of Public Safety
- The second reading of an ordinance amending the business license ordinance provisions for insurance companies
- UCHS Future Business Leaders of America
Look for more information regarding the meeting items listed above in upcoming editions of The Union Daily Times and on www.uniondailytimes.com.
Staff Writer Derik Vanderford can be reached at 864-427-1234, ext. 29, or by email at dvanderford@heartlandpublications.com.
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