Plans for civic center debated

The State College Borough Council will vote a week from today on whether to allow the architecture partnership of John C. Haas Associates, Inc. and L. Robert Kimball & Associates to proceed with plans for the new downtown civic center.

The two architecture companies combined to produce a master project schedule, preliminary site and cost analysis and other development estimates for the 20,925 square feet of land the township purchased on the 200 block of South Allen Street.

Haas and Bickford offered their next few months of design work as a donation to the township.

"It doesn't have too much to do with bricks and mortar," Haas said. "It's about building a consensus within the community, (an) opportunity to do something that is really paramount to our total county situation."

Their main goal, he said, will be to stimulate downtown growth. Haas hopes that the new civic center will encompass "a Taj Mahal of ideas," helping to stimulate growth in the downtown community.

Throughout their presentation, both representatives emphasized the inclusive nature of the project. All major groups in State College will be contacted, they said, to discuss what a center for the town should include.

Haas and Bickford plan to give community presentations and respond to suggestions. Both public and private sectors will combine efforts with the University to determine the area's needs, they said.

"The Taj Mahal word (we should) embrace . . . in terms of cultural opportunities," she said. "It would be a monument to the community."

But currently nobody has set ideas on what actual structures will be built. No plans were presented on how the civic center will be funded, when it will be finished or who it will serve.

For these reasons, council member Don Hahn remains skeptical of the project.

"I have been on record with having opposed the acquisition of (land for the civic center) twice," he said.

But Haas and Bickford are both well respected in the community, McManis said, and the council will continue meeting to work out the details of the project.

"They're working pro-bono, they're both extremely established and connected in our region and our county," she said. "There's nothing to stop anyone from coming forward on one hand, but on the other hand, it would be hard to imagine a (more sound) proposal."