Demolition work at the Carpenter Center is expected to start soon without a formal agreement on the arts center that's planned for downtown Richmond, VA

To keep the estimated $65 million project on schedule for a fall 2009 opening, work will need to begin during the next couple of weeks, Virginia Performing Arts Foundation officials annouced.

The group's executive committee endorsed a final design for the center, called Richmond CenterStage, and authorized spending up to $5.8 million to initiate demolition and other work.

That will include removal of the Carpenter Center's seats and historic lighting, said Charles T. Peters, co-chairman of the design and construction committee.

"We feel very comfortable that the work that we've authorized is on budget and it's critical to meeting our deadlines," he said.

Richmond Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Harry E. Black said the city is comfortable with demolition starting, but he did not know whether permits had been issued. He said the administration will not release any city funds for the project until an agreement is set.

"We're confident there's no reason why we won't get to that point," Black said.

Foundation officials said they see little risk in starting demolition with key issues unresolved, including the finalizing of construction bids.

"From the board standpoint, we're comfortable enough with the way the bids are going that we're willing to spend some money," said John W. Bates III, secretary for the arts foundation.

Joel Katz, a former executive director of the Carpenter Center, said he's surprised project leaders held this month's groundbreaking ceremony. The center is planned along East Grace Street between Sixth and Seventh streets.

"The mayor seems to be OK with all of this. Who am I to argue?" said Katz, who worked as a vice president of the arts foundation before a falling-out with its leaders in 2005.

City officials are reviewing a proposal for the arts center that was submitted under the Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act. No competing plans were filed by yesterday's deadline.

The proposal process was recommended last year by a committee appointed by Mayor L. Douglas Wilder to overhaul the arts-center plan.

Along the lines of the committee's recommendations, a draft agreement for the development and operation of the arts center is expected to be delivered to City Hall next week, Bates said.

The agreement would be between the arts foundation, the city and a nonprofit corporation, RPAC Inc., that was created to oversee the project.

Wilder announced the group's members about two weeks ago.

Peters said the decision to start construction on the arts center would be left to RPAC.

"This is all just the demolition. The construction phase will occur when the agreement is signed and everything else is in place," he said.