By Monica D. Spencer | InMaricopa
Today, they’re jail cells and evidence rooms. One day, they might become art galleries and performance spaces.
That’s what the city envisions in a few years.
In a baby step toward converting the Maricopa police station into a future arts center, members of the city’s Cultural Affairs and Arts Committee toured the headquarters last week. It’s a move they hope will give a permanent home to the city’s burgeoning art community.
Envisioning an arts center
City Manager Rick Horst first broached the concept of an arts center during a future planning session in February. In this presentation, he offered an outline for what the city could see in repurposing the police station.
“We have the potential to set and become the benchmark city in Pinal County that supports the arts wholeheartedly,” said Peg Chapados, a local artist who also helps organize the annual Maricopa Main Street Marketplace.
CAAAC members have discussed the topic in meetings over the last few months, getting a closer view of sketches and inspirational photos of what the future center may look like.
This included a small theater, galleries, retail space and even workshops.
