The $110,000 conceptual plan that was accepted by the City Council includes the enlargement of the sports arena, converting the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium into an exhibition and conference center, and the construction of a new performing arts center behind the Civic Center. Edward Hay, city council member, says, "This decision by the City Council establishes a definitive course of direction for the Civic Center, and we can now all work together to begin working out ways to fine tune the project and to finance the project."

The conceptual plan by Heery includes lowering the arena floor to create 4,000 to 4,500 new prime seats with unobstructed views that will surround the lower level of the new sports arena floor. The current upper level seating will remain in place, and will be available for overflow crowds for playoff games and other major events in the arena. The total seating capacity will be increased to approximately 7,500 to 8,000 seats. Also included in this part of the plan will be renovated locker rooms, new mechanical systems, and roof and various exterior repairs. The estimated cost for this portion of the renovation is $25 million.

The plan also includes converting the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium to an exhibition/conference hall containing approximately 25,000 square feet of space. To accomplish this conversion, the current seating in the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium will be removed and the current raised flooring will simply be lowered to the floor level in front of the stage. The estimated cost of this project is $9 million. This space will be available for community gatherings, conferences and exhibitions. For exceptionally large exhibitions/conferences, the sports arena floor area and the new exhibition hall area can be combined since they will be on the same level. This will create a 95,000 square foot area including the concourse areas.

The estimated cost of repairs to the Asheville Civic Center that simply keeps it in its current form, and includes upgrading the mechanical systems, is $10 million. The cost for enlarging the sports arena and the conversion of the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium to an exhibition/conference space does include the $10 million cost for making the basic repairs to Civic Center and up grading the mechanicals.

The final segment of the conceptual plan provided by Heery International is to build a performing arts center behind the Civic Center (seen in picture on right) that will replace the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. The performing arts center would contain approximately 1,800 to 2,500 seats and 50,000 to 100,000 square feet. The estimated cost for this building is approximately $300 per square foot, and would total between $15 and $30 million. The funding for this particular part of the project would be, primarily, private donations, and would not involve public taxes.

Hay says, "The Asheville Area Arts Council has voiced tremendous support for the construction of the performing arts center, and has vowed to spearhead the private fund raising that will be necessary to pay for this portion of the project."

Asheville Mayor Leni Stinick says, "We will not raise property taxes to fund the cost of this project. We are going to look for private funding for the performing arts center, and we will look for help from the N. C. State Legislature to provide a broad-based local options sales tax with a limited term, perhaps three to five years, to help us raise funds for the cost of the Civic Center portion of the project. We do not want just the citizens of Asheville to have to pay for the cost of a facility that will be used by everyone in the region."

City council member Charles Worley added, "Accepting the conceptual plan of Heery International provides us with a definitive vision for the future of the Civic Center. It also provides a challenge for all of us to work on the funding for the project and thereby bring this vision to a realty."

Vice Mayor Chuck Clonninger says he also supports the conceptual plan devised by Herring International. Clonninger says, "I am particularly pleased that the Herring International plan keeps the Civic Center downtown. I think it is, conceptually, a great plan for the Civic Center, and the challenge is going to be how the community works together to devise a means to pay for it. We will also need to work with the Asheville Chamber of Commerce as we devise our fundraising plan."

In their proposal, Heery International estimated the construction cost of building a new Civic Center facility in a new location to be approximately $40 million. Worley says, "That figure is a little misleading because it does not include the site development costs that could total another $10 million. The site development costs include the purchase price of the property, grading and infrastructure costs that include parking and access roads."

Hay also mentioned that keeping the Civic Center in its current location compliments the current plan to build the 500- to 750-space Battery Hill parking garage that will be located across from the Civic Center. Hay added, "The new I-240/Merrimon Avenue exchange design can also be coordinated to dovetail with the access to the new performing arts center and newly renovated Civic Center. ( The I-240/Merrimon Ave. exchange is pictured on right) Keeping the Civic Center in its current location in the center of Asheville will allow the Civic Center to continue to generate millions of dollars of commerce and trade for downtown Asheville businesses."

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