FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Cumberland County’s Crown Event Center Committee met on May 16 to continue moving forward with the process of constructing a new multipurpose event center to replace the Crown Theatre and Arena. During the meeting, the Committee discussed the guiding principles for the project, along with the role and composition of the community engagement committee, and the process for narrowing down potential locations for the new facility.

Matthew DeSilver, senior project manager with MBP, which has been hired by County as the owner’s representative, went over a set of proposed guiding principles for the project and asked for feedback from the three Cumberland County commissioners who serve on the Crown Event Center Committee – Committee Chairwoman Jeannette Council and Commissioners Jimmy Keefe and Glenn Adams. He said the proposed guiding principles were intended to serve as a starting point for discussion with the Community Engagement Committee, which will be comprised of various project stakeholders and will be asked to provide input regarding the Guiding Principles and Programmatic Function of the new facility.

DeSilver asked the commissioners to review and provide feedback on the proposed guiding principles along with a list of additional stakeholders they wished to see represented on the Community Engagement Committee by this Friday, May 20.

Once the Community Engagement Committee is established, they will be asked to review the draft guiding principles and provide input and feedback during a workshop in early June. That feedback will then be reported back to the Crown Event Center Committee, which will recommend a final set of guiding principles to be sent to the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners for approval.

The commissioners expressed a desire to be inclusive while also making sure the project continues to move forward. In addition to the Community Engagement Committee, community stakeholders and citizens will also have the opportunity to provide feedback on what they would like to see from the new facility, both electronically and during a public hearing in the near future.

Monday’s meeting also served as the kickoff for the site review process. Joe Hines with Timmons Group, which has been brought in to assist MBP with site review, outlined the process for the Committee.

During the site review geographic area analysis, Hines said Timmons Group will review four sub-areas across the areas included in the Market & Financial Feasibility Study. They will examine the potential benefits and drawbacks of each area and compile the information into a decision matrix to bring back to the committee. Hines said he is hopeful this will be done within the next 30 to 45 days.

He said he will come back to the Crown Event Center Committee with a recommendation on a general area and that once the Committee approves the general area, Timmons Group will go back and look at several parcels in that general area to recommend the best location for the facility.

In addition to finalizing the guiding principles and moving forward with site review, DeSilver said MBP is also working to finalize the design and construction RFQ in order to be ready to move forward with an architect once the guiding principles are established.

For more information about the feasibility study, visit crowncomplexnc.com/about/management/csl-market-and-feasibility-study or for Cumberland County government visit cumberlandcountync.gov.