Key EDA expenditures mulled on Monday
A story by PE writer Mark Muckenfuss says the council "may or may not" decide to upgrade the Woolworth Building on Fourth and E streets so it can house local arts organizations ...
The writer delves into an interesting aspect of the situation, but a larger question may prove to be how more than $8 million in EDA reserve funds should be spent, with no less than the future of downtown at stake.
The goal of Monday's meeting is to provide EDA staff a broad direction in which to develop a plan for spending the money. Staff, according to the agenda on the city's Web site, will suggest a 90 day period to strategize how to best move forward with broad suggestions provided a few months back by the Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit think tank.
It's obvious where Mayor Pat Morris, an advocate of New Urbanism-style dense and integrated downtowns, wants to see the money go: Toward making ULI's recommendations a reality.
But he may face some opposition. While some councilmembers have rallied around Morris' downtown visions more enthusiastically than others (Esther Estrada, whose 1st Ward encompasses downtown, and Rikke Van Johnson come to mind) no council member can be expected to sit by totally content while a huge chunk of money gets put on a path away from any direct expenditure toward his or her constituents.
For those who dislike San Bernardino's ward system, designed in part to provide a seat at the table to all communities and axiomatically fostering some territorial squabbling, the way this goes should be real test.
How much of $8-plus million will each councilmember be willing to watch go downtown, ie. away from the communities he or she represents?
As for the arts expenditure, the "where" is probably more important than the "what," at least in this case.
Urban Land Institute think tank results are in, and endorsed by Mayor Morris, with respect to expanding the California Theater & Cinema Star multiplex footprint to provide a richer menu of options and more geographically expansive art community in our city's downtown:
That is good!
Removal of the strip of asphalt between E & D streets on the northern perimeter of city hall’s block to create a grassy swath with City Hall on one side and a lovely art complex on the other:
That is good!
People will soon be thronging to downtown’s planned art community, as they do in Pomona and other area cities using this successful model:
That is good!
Right now is not good:
Right now, we have the Sturgess restructuring in a way that allocates the entire upstairs to CSUSB's Coyotes. No more revenue generation with cast parties, etc. ~ the top floor is now transitioning to an all-off-limits office space – a diametric opposition to the beautifully refurbished second floor of California Theater (Available for rent, call for prices and availability!).
Right now is not good:
Right now, there are no more shows planned from the long-time production company, apparently feeling a freezing cold shoulder from the city after many years of devoted investment in our performing arts. The Coyotes seem to be the favored ones now.
Right now is not good:
Right now, City Hall seems to be missing the memo on diversity ~ and missing the lectures on how the fabric of our community is strengthened when we collaborate. Who dares to say the passion and experience of common folk realizing a dream to cast and audience members’ benefit, more often from among the disenfranchised than not, is something San Bernardino no longer has a desperate need for? How can it be suddenly there is no room at Sturgess for the one constant that has been there year in and year out? Where is the concern for all the simple people who have benefited from Sturgess over the years, and that stand to benefit through the continuation of the season there? Why we are not outraged over this tragedy is mystifying!
Do not assume the poor do not need the arts; they need exposure to the arts more than those of us who take it for granted that Christmas comes with tickets for the family to enjoy Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker ballet, or that every Mother’s Day brunch comes with tickets to Symphony Mexicana each May. We are the minority in this instance; the deprived majority of such pleasantries due to financial or familial circumstance need us to advocate for them. It is in our own best interest that we do. Countless studies have proven the gains attained through exposure to the arts. Ignoring them portends disaster for our society.
Do not adopt an elitist mentality with the often-heard rebuff, “If they want tickets, they can make some money, like the rest of us!” The less fortunate among us in the highest numbers are the children. Providing them access to the arts enhances their probability for success in later life; a child exposed to the arts is more likely to break the cycle of poverty born into and succeed!
I am not saying we should each donate one of our season tickets and shuttle the recipient to each show with us; I am saying we should allow the modest Sturgess Theater to continue affording cultural enrichment to the members of our community that need it most.
Right now is not good:
Right now, it is heart wrenching to watch a family constructively evicted from Sturgess after devoting their lives to doing good works there. Cannot we all just get along? Cannot the top floor of Sturgess be shared, as the top floor of city hall is? How does giving long-time leaders in local performing arts the boot fit into the betterment of San Bernardino? If Jim Penman has been able to share, surely CSUSB can, too.
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City Hall will disappear, if the people with the time-proven passion for making sure we always have a season are brushed away in favor of catering to the newcomers venturing into downtown, again, from the campus over the hill with hopes of taking over the venues capably handled by local residents for years.
The Coyotes are adding young, vigorous youth with modest financial demands to the milieu. Were their interests altruistic, they would contribute to our betterment by adding their power to the existing production company instead of supplanting it.
I do not wish to appear overly cynical when reminding the failure of the Coyotes to succeed with defunct Arts On Fifth. Come what will, year in and out Sturgess has been able to go on with the show long before Arts on Fifth and, if the pattern were allowed to continue rather than being cut off at the knees, long after.
The downtown area of San Bernardino is rich in venues for the performing arts. We have places to go sit down and watch the show, be it a play, musical, ballet, lecture, concert, or cinematographic performance. What we need are galleries to display and observe our works of art in. By following the good advice of Urban Land Institute and transforming the area immediately north of City Hall, and continuing to follow their advice by adding galleries there, we will be on the right grassy pathway for success.
This improves by rectifying the error of alienating a proven long-time contributor to our town’s cultural scene. It is not too late.
Over the decades, mayors have been able to share city hall’s top floor while butting heads with Jim Penman. Surely, companions in the world of Art can manage to do the same.
We need all the help we can get. Let us not summarily discharge a proven winner at this early stage in a very important transformation of our downtown into a vibrant beacon for people to flock and enjoy an evening, or Saturday, out perusing the fare and finds we have for offering in the culinary and visual art fields, as well as the stalwart performing arts.
The City and Coyotes need to see their error, apologize, and invite the proven can-do team back inside and upstairs.
Make an area for cast parties while you are at it! Who ever heard of a theater without cast parties? Gracious!
I would ask, “What were they thinking?” However, it is clear they were not.
s/Arts Are Fine Is What Is On My Mind
Oh Please. It may be said that the downtown needs a greater investment..but throwing more public dollars at a wall is simply lunacy.
Let us be clear, there currently is no downtown project. There hasn't been one. The Urban Land Institute Study is a concept that is probably right on, but it is going to take real investment from something other than taxpayers to make it a reality.
The City already owns 40 plus acres around the Carousel Mall (the Parking). Throwing more money into the mix will not change one thing...except prove how stupid elected leaders are in not conditioning any new development to provide improvements around the mall.
Spending more redevelopment money in the area is wasteful...