At St. Catharines city hall, Brock president Terry Lightstone and St. Catharines Mayor Brian McMullan signed what's known as a memorandum of understanding, which means the two sides will examine how both Brock's arts school and the proposed performing arts centre could be jointly located at one site.

The agreement states that Brock's board of trustees will have jurisdiction over the university's arts school, while the city will be in charge of the performing arts centre.

Lightstone said the new performing arts centre could become home to the Niagara Symphony and various theatre groups, while the relocated Brock arts school will provide much-needed space and will become the university's first major off-site campus in the region.

Lightstone said work will continue to explore how the two centres can be jointly situated and how they will fit in with overall plans to revitalize the city's downtown.

He said he expects more detailed information on what would be needed for the performing arts centre should become available by the end of August or by September, and that a more detailed business plan outlining such things as costs for centre and where it should go should be completed by about the end of the year.

At that point, the partners can seek sources of funding. Lightstone said it's a no-brainer that the provincial and federal governments will be approached with requests for funding, and that it could take 12 to 18 months to identify funding sources once the business plan is complete.

Lightstone said that his university would have to have a new arts school with our without the joint performing arts centre because the university simply doesn't have enough space in its present facilities.

"This project has to happen," he said.

Lightstone said it will cost an estimated $30 million for the Brock arts school alone. The performing arts centre will likely cost many millions of dollars more.

McMullan said the joint project will play a major role in revitalizing the downtown of Niagara's largest city.

"This project will be the cornerstone of (city) council's vision for a revitalized downtown St. Catharines," he said. With the Brock arts school bringing students downtown every day and the performing arts centre attracting audiences from across Niagara, it will encourage redevelopment and investment in the downtown, he said.