Just over a month after they paused construction of the $145 million Crown Event Center in downtown Fayetteville, the Cumberland County commissioners voted on Monday morning to allow the project to resume.
But the commissioners are not finished discussing matters surrounding construction of the Event Center, which they halted on March 5 for 30 days. The stopped the project temporarily to have lawyer J. Scott Flowers of Fayetteville investigate a $1.9 million “additional architect’s fee” from architectural firm EwingCole. The commissioners are scheduled to resume meeting at 11 a.m. Tuesday to continue their conversation, Commissioners’ Chair Kirk deViere said.
DeViere on Monday afternoon said he will provide further information after the commissioners meet on Tuesday, when he holds his monthly “Chats with the Chairman” news conference. The news conference will be in the commissioners’ chamber in the Cumberland County Courthouse.
The Crown Event Center is to be a performing arts center and meeting venue on Gillespie Street in downtown Fayetteville, on a former parking lot between the County Courthouse on Dick Street and the Historic Courthouse on Gillespie Street.
It’s being built to replace the Crown Theatre and Crown Arena at the Crown Complex off U.S. 301 and Owen Drive.
The county held a groundbreaking ceremony in October, and construction got underway. It was expected to open in spring 2027. It’s not yet publicly known how much the 30-day pause in construction will affect the construction schedule.
The commissioners met for more than two hours behind closed doors on Monday to discuss the Event Center and the potential purchase of land. DeViere said the land purchase is unrelated to the Event Center.
Flowers met with the commissioners for part of the two hours in closed session.
When commissioners came out of their closed-door meeting, they voted 5-0 “to lift the contractual suspension from the Crown Event Center project.” Commissioners Marshall Faircloth and Jeannett Council were absent.
There are now no restrictions on the contractors performing their work, county Communications Director Diane Rice told CityView.
Senior reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at pwoolverton@cityviewnc.com.
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