Cal Poly Pomona to leave Downtown Center; SAE will operate facility

POMONA - For 10 years Cal Poly Pomona, through the Cal Poly Pomona Downtown Center, has been an active and visible part of the Arts Colony.

This week the university announced that due to the budget crisis it will no longer be able to operate the center.

Although the university will not operate the facility the mission of the center and the services that have been offered under Cal Poly's leadership will continue, said Ed Tessier, who with his family has been the principal donor to the Downtown Center project.

Academic projects, community outreach, cultural programs, art openings and other activities will still be offered, he said.

"The only real difference is it will be the (School of Arts and Enterprise) that's operating the center," Tessier said Friday.

Under the current arrangement the university is the operating institution and under its umbrella provides space and coordination for various community projects, Tessier said.

Since the School of Arts and Enterprise opened in 2002 it has had a presence at the center and occupies the second floor of the building and has partial use of the rest, said Tessier speaking on behalf of the Tessier Family Trust which owns the building.

During the 10 years "the Downtown Center has been the impetus of some terrific community programs," said Carol Richardson, dean of the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences in a statement released late Thursday evening.

"There have been hundreds of outreach and service events, art exhibitions, performances and festivals. We greatly appreciate the efforts of the volunteers, nonprofits, donors, the city of Pomona, and the downtown itself that helped make all of this possible," she said.

Although Cal Poly will no longer be the operator of the Downtown Center the university still plans on being involved in the community, university spokeswoman Uyen Mai said Friday.

At this point, however, the university is evaluating how to best provide programs and services now provided through the Downtown Center, she said.

University representatives are talking with schools and other Pomona entities that could lead to new ways and locations to provide the services now based at the center, Mai said.

"Lots of ideas are still on the table and we have to wait and see which ones are most feasible," she said.

The university is expected to cease operating the center Jan. 31, Tessier said.

In explaining the challenges the university is facing and its reason for giving up operation of the center "it doesn't seem like they really had a choice," Tessier said.

"The good news is that after 10 years the Downtown Center is a very well-established venue," Tessier said.

"Everybody's goal is to not only continue the programming but to see real continuity in services," Tessier said.

Efforts are under way to find a means to have the university continue providing some of its programs at the center, he said.

If it's not possible to achieve such an arrangement other organizations have expressed interest in offering programs there, Tessier said.

Carolyn Hemming, president of the Downtown Pomona Owners Association, said members of the organization are disappointed to hear of Cal Poly's departure from downtown but the news wasn't totally unexpected.