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Howard Seebach said Pleasanton has a lot going for it in many areas, activities, parks, schools, employment, business, very popular downtown, and now the arts. The City of Pleasanton has a positive arts momentum. The firehouse project can continue this momentum and assist the downtown. People come to Pleasanton for many things, like sports activities, downtown restaurants, Shakespeare in the Park, etc. He encouraged activities to keep people coming to Pleasanton instead of over the hill to San Francisco or Oakland for the arts. He agreed to do the project at once and not to phase the project. Gerald Hedstrom reiterated that the Civic Arts Commission discussed with ESL in June to keep the project whole. Mayor Hosterman thanked everyone for what they have done for the community. She did not believe there was a consideration to have any reductions. The plan is great as is. She loved the fact that not only would a facility like this be provided for the community, but also that it would expand the downtown core. If there are no reductions and we are considering moving forward with a fully funded project versus a phased project, she asked staff to present a proposal. Mr. Fialho said there are reserves for special capital improvement projects that are a priority for the city and this would compete with other projects. He would like to bring back a report with an analysis of alternatives to move this project forward including in a phased manner. One option would be to fully fund the project and determine where the money would come from; the other option would be how to advance the project with the funding currently available by prioritizing the programmatic elements of the facility. Mayor Hosterman understands the desire to have the project done as soon as possible as a whole. She did not want to hold up the project waiting for funding. She asked for Council comments. Matt Sullivan congratulated everyone involved in this project. He supported the concept and bringing it forward in a single phase. He would like to see the options from staff for possible subsidies with reimbursement later from fundraising by the Foundation. He wanted other Commissions to review the proposed project and had comments on architecture that he would like to make as the project goes through the process. Jerry Thorne fully supported the project and moving forward without phasing. He felt the city could find a way to fund it without taking away from other projects. Cindy McGovern really liked the design and would add an amazing component to the community as well as the downtown. She was concerned about spending money the city does not have and wanted assurance from staff before she would agree to construct the whole thing at one time. She was concerned that the Alviso Adobe was pending and there are no funds set aside for it. Joint Workshop City Council/Civic Arts Commission 6 09/06/05