Downtown Performing Arts Center Now an Agenda Item

We learn on the front page of the News and Record that a performing arts center is being proposed for the downtown Greensboro area. 

It should be noted that bond issues have been proposed for a performing art center at least a couple of times in the past, but they have gone down in flames at the polls.  This time, there is a new twist, because downtown is being proposed as the location instead of the Coliseum complex.

I think a downtown performing arts center would be a great idea, and would be a very nice amenity primarily for upper middle class and wealthy Greensboro residents.  A few observations:

1.  How did this recommendation arise? 

The recommendation is one of six coming out of the Downtown Consolidated Plan, a city-county effort designed to spur economic development in the center city. 

We learn in an accompanying article that the consultant's recommendation for a performing arts center was "based on extensive community input dating back to October".

2. Hmmm.  Who provided this "extensive community input" in favor of the performing arts center?  Likely not you or I.

The article does not answer this question, but you can make an educated guess.  Greensboro's "downtown business establishment"-- Action Greensboro, the Greensboro Partnership, Downtown Greensboro Inc.-- have been major forces in favor of using taxpayer dollars, and especially bonds, to make favored projects happen.  This crowd wanted the performing arts center previously.  When bond issues fail at the polls in Greensboro, they merely get resurrected again and again until they pass.

And of course, city staff might have provided some input into this process.  Matt Brown is featured in the article.

Conservative policy outcomes are subject to revision.  Progressive policy outcomes are inviolate.  Those are the rules of the game in Greensboro.

3. Support for the premise that it was this crowd that promoted the idea of a downtown performing arts center is contained in the article:

Greensboro leaders say it’s time the city has a first-rate downtown performance space of its own.

“From a personal perspective, it is something that needs to happen and needed to happen for a long time,” said Walker Sanders, president of the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro.

Action Greensboro, which is part of the Greensboro Partnership, lists on its website the Downtown Consolidated Plan as one of its projects of interest.  The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro is one of the eight foundations that comprise Action Greensboro.

I checked the Community Foundation's website.  Its 2009-2010 annual report lists assets of $107,506,167.  Mr. Sanders' foundation has more than enough money to pay for the performing arts center.  I think they should be encouraged to do so if they want it so badly.  But even if they only wish to pay part of the expense, the other foundations comprising Action Greensboro likely could make up the difference.

I remember last winter's City Council hearing regarding the aquatics center.  Mr. Sanders stood up at the podium to advise the council that a couple hundred thousand dollars had been donated to pay to teach schoolkids to swim.  Of course, this was a pittance in comparison with the likely long-term expense to teach all the kids in the whole school system, but it was presented as a momentous development that further justified using bond monies for the aquatic center.  It was literally jaw-dropping; and the amount offered represented only a tiny percentage of the monies the vaunted foundations comprising Action Greensboro have available to them.

4. The News and Record article says Keith Holliday is promoting a conversion of the Carolina Theater to a performing arts center.  Its space would have lesser seating capacity than what the consultant envisions; but I think Holliday actually has a good idea.  A performing arts center at that venue would be superior to that which it typically offers.

5. Do performing arts centers spur downtown economic development?  That is the stated purpose of the consultant's report, but I think the premise is dubious.  It seems fairly clear to me the consultant made the recommendation based on what some key, influential people said they wanted-- not based on what is a true economic development driver.

How would it spur economic development?  Sure, visitors to the center would spill out late at night and visit certain restaurants that remain open late.  But I suppose that would also happen if you built a big movie multi-plex downtown.  In any case, would this truly be an economic development driver?  Probably not.

6. The fact that downtown has been recommended as the location will naturally garner additional support.  There is much downtown idolatry in Greensboro.

7. Our "downtown business establishment" is a dishonorable crowd.  Perhaps that is why Rob Clapper left the Chamber of Commerce.

They take delight in the process of advancing certain favored proposals, and sticking taxpayers with the costs.  Greensboro's lower and middle income residents will be paying for this performing arts center if public funding is demanded and obtained.  But it will be mostly those in higher socioeconomic groups who will enjoy using the center.

The unelected elites delight in advancing their own political vision of how tax monies should be spent.  They continuously find new projects to fund with your money.

It would be interesting to know how this "consultant" arrived at the objective determination that a performing arts center is one of the best things we can do to boost downtown economic development.  Was it a preordained conclusion, dictated by our local elites?

Update: More at Triad Watch.

Comments

[Stormy]

It is simply amazing how Greensboro civic leaders can find so many different ways to spend taxpayer money. I thought that we had a recession going on? Didn't Barack Obama, himself, say you don't raise taxes in a recession? If these spending projects are such great ideas, why don't they take the projects on as a private enterprise, using their own money? If it is a facility that is desperately needed, I am sure that it would be profitable and produce a good return to investors. This is a good ethical test for community leaders...put up your own money, if it fulfills a community need, then you will be rewarded.

[blah blah blah]

Hey Joe, I guess I have one major issue with anything being put in downtown Greensboro (FYI-I am not a Greensboro city resident). This past Saturday night my oldest son's band played a concert at Greene St (a music/dance club). We left around 11:30 to go home, our path took us north on Elm from February One Pl. Needless to say the traffic was horrible, at 11:30pm! Kids old enough to drive but not old enough to get into the bars crowded the streets in their cars. Then we get to Center City Park, at 11:30 at night there must have been hundreds of under 15 kids milling about, walking in the streets, acting like they were not going to move out of the way of cars, etc. This place is a haven for poor decisions. My dad used to tell me "What can you do at 11:30 that you cant do at 7:00? Chances are whatever it is, it aint good!" What are all these young kids doing out this late in the middle of the city where all the bars are? We were with some friends who are considerably younger than us and still like to frequesnt night-life spots, they said "They never go downtown anymore because their car had been broken into twice and they didnt feel safe". I told my wife as we went thru that I could remember when downtown Greensboro was a ghost town, if things stay at this pace it will soon return to that.
This is where you want to build a place to attract the affluent crowd? I think not, your best bet would be to put it in the Friendly Center area.

[Joe Guarino]

Great points, Stormy.

Blah, perhaps Matt Brown and his crew will bring a mini-SuperJam to the new downtown performing arts center, with all that entails. But late-night downtown Greensboro already sounds like a zoo.

[DonMoore]

Greensboro should have a lot of things; but you know we haven't been able to use what we have. The Coliseum is a prime example. We remodeled a well-attended, often full and profitable 13,000 seat facility with a 20,000 plus facility that requires a curtain to drop attendance to 10,300 for most events. It loses money and looks like "trouble" to visitors from other cities. It's failure devastated High Point Road businesses. We continue to sink millions of dollars into it with NO END IN SIGHT.

The problem is very simple, if there was a business plan - it would be built. If it's a government project, count on it costing us money for years.

[Hugh]

A&T, Greensboro College, UNCG, Carolina Theater. What is wrong with those proximate venues?

[bubba]

"Our 'downtown business establishment' is a dishonorable crowd."

No!

Not OUR Business As Usual co-conspirators to enable projects for THEIR benefit at OUR expense!

Something like that NEVER happens here!

[Stormy]

While walking through his cornfield, Ray Kinsella hears a voice whisper, "If you build it, he will come" (often misquoted as "If you build it, they will come"), and sees a vision of a baseball field. Believing he is somehow being asked to build it, and fearing he is in danger of "turning into" his father—whom he resented for his lack of spontaneity—Ray strongly wishes to do so. Although skeptical, his wife, Annie, is supportive. Watched by disbelieving neighbors, Ray plows under his corn and builds the field. A year passes without incident. Ray and Annie are eventually forced to consider replacing the field with corn to stay financially solvent.

We all know the rest of the story. Ray built the baseball field, because he believed that if you build it, he will come (or they will come), and he and they did. Ray was successful in building his baseball field and averted financial ruin. But, the moral of the story is that he built it with his own money. He risked his own financial future in pursuing his belief. Ray is different than the Greensboro community leaders, simply because they believe if they build it, they will come, but they want to use other people's money and not risk their own.

[Ken Hill]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0Ocv8aMBjk&feature=related Milton Friedman explained it well many years ago. All 5 parts are worth watching.

[Joe Guarino]

Bubba, no, obviously never.

Hugh, I think the Carolina Theater alternative might be a good one. Renovate, work on the acoustics, expand the seating capacity, and you could have a jewel.

And recover the expense in the ticket prices. Get the altruistic heavy hitters to foot the bill. Leave the taxpayers alone.

[George Hartzman]

How can those promoting a new venue not intend to put the Carolina Theater out of business?

[Joe Guarino]

Great question, George. And yet, Holliday has been part of the Melderec crowd in the past. Go figure.

[George Hartzman]

"One of the major steps includes fundraising. It said almost all performance centers draw from a mix of public, private and philanthropic sources."

See how they put "public" first?

This is how the Aquatic Debacle began.

Maybe they can bury it in a Parks and Rec. Bond.

Same people.

Who wouldn't want to own a government subsidized 20 story condoplex next to a brand new publicly owned performing arts center, that can be charged to everyone's kids, next to a state sponsored privately owned hotel?

Welcome comrads...please visit downtown Greensboro...our publicly financed political and business elite welcomes your dollars to be transfered from all to the select few.

What is an Oligarchy dad?

[Joe Guarino]

It is, indeed, oligarchy, George. They will use subterfuge and dishonest techniques to move this thing, as they have in the past.

In fact, I think it is already beginning. The mere premise is astonishing that this project has newfound merit because a consultant hired by this crew recommended it. We are supposed to believe this recommendation arose spontaneously on the basis of merit after objectively comparing all alternatives for spurring downtown development. What a farce!

[triadwatch]

it would be interesting to find out just how much this study cost , when we have known for years they have wanted this but now we need a taxpayer study to find out

[Fred Gregory]

Panem et circenses ?

[Joe Guarino]

Fred, I had to look that one up in Wiki, and it applies:

"Bread and circuses" (or bread and games) (from Latin: panem et circenses) is a metaphor for a superficial means of appeasement. In the case of politics, the phrase is used to describe the creation of public approval, not through exemplary or excellent public service or public policy, but through the mere satisfaction of the immediate, shallow requirements of a populace. The phrase also implies the erosion or ignorance of civic duty amongst the concerns of the common man (l'homme moyen sensuel).

"In modern usage, the phrase has become an adjective to deride a populace that no longer values civic virtues and the public life. To many across the political spectrum, left and right, it connotes the triviality and frivolity that in popular culture is supposed to have characterized the Roman Empire prior to its decline."

[Joe Guarino]

Keith, the depths to which this crowd will stoop are literally bottomless. Did they think everyone was going to be fooled?

The News and Record's credulous coverage, for the most part, heightens the problem. Yes, they mentioned the effort had failed four times previously, but otherwise the article contained none of the skepticism ordinarily reserved, for instance, for Conservatives for Guilford County.

[Doc Alexander]

News & record also reported this morning, on another topic, that the International Civil Rights Museum is laying off fulltime staff. This after not even one year in existence.

So, let me see if I have this straight in my mind; the Civil Rights Museum,whom everyone held forth as a shining example of the Downtown Resurgence (*TM-patent pending) is laying off staff, has no fulltime marketing director and as of now is unequipped to allow more than 25 people to tour the facility at one time.

Now, right next door to this soon-to-be moribund facility, there is a proposal for a "luxury" hotel. To accomodate the 200,000 visitors per year that Mr. Alston keeps promising us are on the way, I suppose.

Now, with a perfectly fine and very beautiful Carolina Theatre sitting there, the incredibly smart people who plan for such things want to build a brand new performing arts center.

Only in Greensboro. All that's missing is Lyle Langley and his Monorail.

[Joe Guarino]

Doc, in Greensboro, it is not necessary for the ruling class to make sense, or to act in a manner that refuses to reward special interests.

It is only necessary to seemingly have good intentions, and to give the appearance of political virtue.

[Bubba]

Look at this outrage, as sent in an email link from the Greensboro Partnership:

http://www.quartercentmakessense.com/

Look how they frame the argument.

As least they're consistent in their pandering.

First, they pimp the bonds, now they pimp the sales tax to pay for it, using the most specious of arguments in rationalization.

Whores by any other name......

Tell them what you think of this.

Send your email to:
Jason Cannon, VP, Governmental Affairs
wpoteat@greensboro.org

[Brenda Bowers]

I don't get around to my friends blogs as much as I used to, and certainly not as much as I would like; I'm getting tired of the fight probably. But when I do come around I cover a good bit of the older posts. (sigh) Does anything ever change in Greensboro? BB

[Joe Guarino]

Bubba, in the link you posted, note how they implicitly blame the voters, and fail to disclose that they themselves were the biggest promoters for the bonds. They led and funded the campaign to support the bonds.

Brenda, things have changed a bit in Greensboro politically, but the challenges remain the same. The corruption remains.

[Mike J Baron]

I'd like to see the proposed Performing Arts Center (PAC) adopt the Greensboro Library's "Free and equal access to information" policy and never charge for admission. In addition, parking at the PAC should also be free in adherence to this policy. The wonderful result: All the information inside the PAC would be available to all persons regardless of their economic status. If the PAC charges admission and parking fees, many poor and middle class people will be deprived of whatever information the PAC is featuring. We cannot tolerate this! Access must be free and it must be equal! Furthermore, citizens wishing to ride the Greensboro Transit busses to the PAC should not have to pay any bus fare because of the "free and equal access to information" policy. Now isn't this the neatest proposal you have ever seen?

[Joe Guarino]

Your suggestion makes a great point, Mike. This performing arts center is not primarily intended for poor people and the working class-- just like the aquatic center.