Phase One: Side Show

Phase One: Side Show

Constructing the Dream: Work on the Huish Performance Arts and Cultural Education Center Continues Under Guidance of Richard Lindsey

By Denise Windley

Once finished, the Huish Performing Arts and Cultural Education (PACE) Center will serve nearly 100,000 people in Payson and the surrounding areas, according to Richard Lindsey, Huish PACE director. “There won’t be a day that goes by that we won’t have something going on in here,” he said. “That’s the dream.”  

Constructing the dream calls for the usual ingredients for success: A lot of commitment and a lot more hard work.  For the Huish renovation project, the recipe also calls for a bit of strategy.

One such strategy designed to open up much needed revenue sources, which can then help further the project along, involves gaining access to building spaces that can be put to use now.  Before the building can be opened for occupancy, its public restrooms will have to meet ADA (American with Disabilities Act) standards.  Ultimately, the center’s public restrooms will be located in main part of the building.  But for now, says Lindsey, the former salon located below the Huish board room offers the quickest and easiest solution.  Once the restrooms are compliant, the Huish will rent out the two empty building spaces located to the east of the theater for use by smaller performing events or a comedy club, to name a few performance possibilities.

“Going along with Gordon’s philosophy, like he did at the Peteetneet- the first thing he did was he fixed up the auditorium, so now he could have family reunions, parties and all this other stuff coming in, and get a cash flow,” said Mr. Lindsey.  “As soon as we do that, then we can start raising funds and getting grants and all the other stuff.  Then we could finish up the rest of the project, which would be to add a whole new building to the north here, between us and One Man Band, and then that will become the lobby area, it will become the stagecraft where we build sets and stuff like that.”

A green room, practice rooms, and restrooms will follow suit. “There will be an elevator, a grand staircase,” said Lindsey.

“So it’s going to happen in three phases,” he explained.  “Phase One is what we call ‘The Sideshow.’  Phase two is getting the main auditorium ready to go.  Then phase three would be to add the extension to them.  

“I’ve got pages and pages of things we want to do in here,” said Lindsey.

More to come in the next edition of The Payson Chronicle.

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