MCPS considers donating to Missoula arts center

District asked to give $15,000 for development of business plan

Missoula – with its educated, active and growing population – needs and has strong interest in a performing arts center that would seat 1,200 to 1,500 people, a needs assessment recently completed by Webb Management Services Inc. of New York concludes.

By JANE RIDER and ROB CHANEY of the Missoulian

"Among the major cities in Montana, we are the only one without a facility with more than 1,000 seats," Performing Arts Center Steering Committee Co-Chairman Jim Valeo told the Missoula Redevelopment Agency last week.

That means the city misses lots of touring companies of Broadway shows, Hollywood productions and music acts that are too big for the Wilma Theater and too small for the Adams Center at the University of Montana.

Such a facility could also provide the community with a wide range of locally produced performances, with a considerable share – 25 percent to 35 percent – originating from the public schools.

On Wednesday, the steering committee discussed results of the $25,000 needs assessment with the Finance and Operations Committee for Missoula County Public Schools, which contributed $12,500 last year toward completion of the initial study.

The assessment analyzed size, growth and characteristics of the Missoula-area market; the demand from local performing arts organizations, including the school systems; gaps in the current inventory of facilities; comparably sized facilities in other Montana cities; and the potential benefits a new facility to Missoula.

The group then asked for support in pursuing the next step, $15,000 toward completion of a business plan that will cost between $40,000 and $50,000.

Last week, MRA agreed to donate $15,000 toward the plan. The group asked MCPS to match it.

At last week’s meeting, MRA board member Rosalie Cates said she loved the idea of a performing arts center, but questioned whether the school board should be using its building fund for such a project.

School officials explained Wednesday that the money would not come from MCPS’s general fund which is used to pay for teachers, school programs and operations. The money could come from the building fund, dollars that can’t be spent on school staff, curriculum or operations.

Trustee David Merrill asked several questions concerning the request: Who would maintain the facility once it is built? How would those costs be covered? How does UM fit into the picture and will it contribute as well?

Trustee Carol Bellin asked if the steering committee is set on a specific site.

Phil Perszyk, steering committee co-chair, said an endowment fund will likely be included in a capital campaign, once a business plan is completed and the group is prepared to solicit philanthropists and foundations.

"The capital campaign isn’t just for bricks and mortar, but also to ensure the facility’s ongoing operations for years and years," Perszyk said.

The steering committee is eyeing nine acres downtown that includes the old Fox Theater site – a wedge-shaped piece along west Front Street and bounded by West Broadway, Orange Street and the Clark Fork River.

"But the work to date is not site specific," said Jim O’Neill, another steering committee member.

MCPS’s finance committee trustees decided Wednesday to let the full board discuss the issue at its next regular monthly meeting in August.

A business plan would delve into management, staffing and operation of a center; an operating budget; and user cost guidelines to maximize use while assuring access to a wide range of users.

"The work will determine if the facility can be self-supporting and, if not, what will be the shortfall and how can it be addressed," wrote Thomas Boone, Missoula Symphony Association president in a letter to MCPS.

The business plan would also assess the potential regional economic impact.

The steering committee has proposed hiring Hardy, Holzman and Pheiffer, architects from New York and Los Angeles, to undertake a pre-design study to complement work done to date. O’Neill, of OZ Architects in Missoula, is working closely with them to help define the scope of the work. The architects will define space needs based on interviews with users and Webb Management’s projections of user type and frequency.

"Their work will also help us begin to define more specifically the physical dimensions and qualities of a building site," Booth said. "A reasonably accurate cost of construction estimate could also be developed as part of this work."

http://missoulian.com/articles/2003/07/31/news/local/news04.txt