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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 24, 2016)
SEPTEMBER 24, 2016 • FLORENCE EVENTS CENTER 20TH ANNIVERSARY 3 Celebrating 20 years of the Florence Events Center he Florence Events Center’s (FEC) vision began with a group of citi- zens in 1986. Ten years later the vision became a reality in the form of a 21,600-square-foot structure. Ground was broken on July 4, 1994. The original concept was for a multi-purpose space but it was later determined that a flat floor space alone would not meet the entire needs of the community. That is when the plans for a theater entered the picture. In search for the optimal design, a group of event center enthusiasts made several trips to various facilities and — while in a café in Nevada — scribbled the first rough design on a piece of scratch paper, which is currently framed and displayed in the FEC office. Through county room tax funds, foundation grants and fundraisers, the FEC was built for $3.3 million. The FEC was dedicated to the citizens of Florence whose vision and efforts made the community facility possible. The city was under the leadership of Mayor Roger McCorkle, Councilor Dave Braley, Councilor Clara Kuhn Anderson, Councilor Alan Burns, Councilor Eileen Gray and City Manager Ken Hobson. At the beginning of the campaign, the original name of the facility was to be the “All Events Center” but was changed to the Florence Events Center during the con- struction period. In September 2000, the name was changed to the “Florence Convention and Performing Arts Center,” with hopes the name would attract more conferences. A few years later by popular demand, the B Y K EVIN R HODES FEC Director T I N S I D E name was changed back to the Florence Events Center, which it remains to this day. There was a degree of risk for a small community to undertake a project of such magnitude. There were con- 4 FEC S TAFF 5 D ANCING WITH S EA L IONS 2016 7 C OMMUNITY S POTLIGHTS 8 F RIENDS OF THE FEC 10 C OMMUNITY PHOTOS 13 A LOOK INSIDE THE FEC FACILITY 14 2017 C ALENDAR cerns the building would sit vacant. Fortunately, business exceeded expecta- tions and it was soon in need of more space. Through a generous donation from volunteer and FEC supporter George Weber, the Executive Board Room, Directors Office, Green Room and a stor- age room were all added to bring the total square footage to 22,500 feet. The first FEC general manager, Joseph Kerr, was hired on Jan. 16, 1995. On his second day on the job at the opening of the bids, he learned the lowest proposal came in $750,000 over budget. After the daunting challenge of making cuts to reduce the cost of construction and pursu- ing additional funding, the City of Florence accepted a new bid five months later for $2.4 million from local contractor G&C Construction. Florence Events Center opened its doors and was ded- icated on Aug. 31, 1996. To this day, the facility contin- ues to remain full of activity and has grown to host an average of 400 events and 50,000 attendees per year. Staff projects approximately 7,800 events will have occurred and 800,000 attendees will have walked through the FEC doors by the end of 2016! The Florence Events Center has undoubtedly proven to be a well utilized facility and wonderful gem for our community. Happy Anniversary to the Florence Events Center! We enthusiastically look forward to another successful 20 years. F L O R EN C E E VE NT S C E N TE R 2 0 1 6 C O M M E MO R A TI V E ED I T IO N 715 Quince St. — 541-997-1994 — www.eventcenter.org n this celebration of the Florence Events Center’s 20 years on the Oregon coast, find the history of bringing a community space to Florence, learn about current proj- ects, meet the staff and peek inside. I A publication of the Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 148 Maple Street Florence, OR 97439 541-997-3441 www.TheSiuslawNews.com Copyright 2016 • Siuslaw News & Central Coast Publishing No part of this publication may be duplicated without permission Keep an eye out for special “Community Spotlights,” highlighting 20 groups and individuals that help make sure “There’s always something happening at the Florence Events Center.” FLORENCE E V EN T S CE NT E R 2 0 1 6 PUBLISHER John Bartlett GENERAL MANAGER Jenna Bartlett FEATURES EDITOR & DESIGN/LAYOUT Chantelle Meyer PRODUCTION Ron Annis Carolyn Nordahl CONTENT & PHOTOS Ned Hickson – EDITOR Jack Davis – REPORTER Community Contributors ADVERTISING Susan Gutierrez – DIRECTOR Jeanna Petersen Katie Libby
