PORT TOWNSEND — The Fort Worden Public Development Authority is still in the planning phase for an arts community in Makers Square at Fort Worden.
The $13 million project remains in the design and fundraising phase, said Dave Robison, Fort Worden Public Development Authority (PDA) executive director, on Wednesday.
“We don’t anticipate going out to bid for construction until sometime next year,” Robinson said, “which will depend on fundraising success.”
Robinson said PDA officials will go over the business plan for Makers Square on June 28.
The square will include nine buildings located behind Taps at the Guardhouse, a pub and eatery located at 300 Eisenhower Ave. near the entrance to Fort Worden.
Makers Square is intended to be an art and cultural center, including a dance studio, culinary school, wood shop, performance hall, artist residency and arts and education center.
In the middle of it all will be the Port Townsend School of the Arts, which is already housed in Building 306, and Madrona MindBody Institute, which is located at the north end of the Makers Square campus.
The arts are already an integral part of the Fort Worden campus.
Aside from the Port Townsend School of the Arts, the Port Townsend School of Woodworking and the Centrum Foundation, an arts education nonprofit, already call Fort Worden home.
The entire project would require significant restoration, including significant utilities upgrades, to buildings 305, 308 and 324. The cost estimate for the building rehabilitation, utilities upgrades, site preparation and landscaping is $9,853,025.
Outside of those expenses, the cost of permitting, hiring architects and engineers, and fundraising efforts is estimated at $2,567,065.
The technology for the buildings, including Wi-Fi and phones, would be an additional $240,000. However, the PDA is currently looking to fund the design phase of the project, which is another estimated $337,236.
According to documents from the PDA’s meeting Wednesday, the hope is to fund the project through grants and public and private donations, though the PDA didn’t say how much of the funding it’s been able to acquire so far.
The PDA took over management of the campus portion of Fort Worden State Park in May 2014. The rest of the park is overseen by the Washington State Parks Department.
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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 55052, or at cmcfarland@peninsuladailynews.com.
