I’m all for it in theory. The only challenge is the location, how much it will cost, who will pay for it, and who will keep paying for its maintenance and operations? Okay that’s four questions.

The article in the Herald today refers to a movement under way to get a performing arts center here in Monroe. The Monroe Arts Council is heading up the drive, hoping to find answers to the four big questions. I’m sure the latter three questions will be a determining factor for the former.

A performing arts center would bring a lot to our town in terms of culture and opportunities for our youth to explore and hone their creative talents. It would allow some of the creative adults to make us proud as well. It would give us a central place for all those big recitals, community gatherings and country music concerts that are often held outside Monroe for lack of appropriate facilities.

That said, the last time we discussed the costs of building such a facility we were talking in the $6 million to $8 million range. Then several hundred thousand a year to run it. That just wasn’t a valid option because the City budget could not (and should not) absorb that kind of expense.

There are several options that they may consider:

1) Form a new special taxing district. These are called Public Facilities Districts and the public would have to vote to approve the new property tax on themselves to pay for the construction (or purchase) of the facility and the ongoing operational costs.

2) Use the East County Parks and Recreational District to do the same thing as #1. There is an existing structure in terms of a taxing district, and the taxing district would probably be a big larger and more affluent than any new Public Facilities District that would be created. The voters would still have to approve the same tax increase on themselves to pay for it, however, since the East County Parks and Rec District is doing well just to stay liquid each year.

3) The City could build and operate the center through our Parks & Recreation Department. The City is actually a much better answer than the first two options because the quality of our staff is top-notch and that department is pretty sophisticated. The voters would still have to approve a tax increase to pay for the facility, however, since the City budget cannot afford the expense. While the City would operate it better than the first two options, the trouble with this scenario is that the taxing base would only be City of Monroe residents, since the City Council does not have the authority to tax outside the city. That means the taxes on Monroe citizens would be MUCH higher under option #3 than in the first two options.

4) The hybrid option: the City of Monroe could partner with the East County Parks and Rec District, or even with a newly created Public Facilities District to build, own and operate the facility. This could work to utilize the strengths of each. The City could operate it, while the District could assist in the funding. For that matter, Snohomish County might be drawn into the mix as well. The County has a Public Facilities District, although I’m not certain that Monroe is within its boundaries.

5) Get an earmark in the Federal budget to pay for it. From what I hear, those are quite the rage in Congress. The Republicans made it popular for the last decade while they were acting like Democrats with their spending, and our local Democrat Congressmen and US Senators are big fans of these earmarks. This option will need to be used quickly if McCain wins the White House because he’s publicly opposed the practice. If Obama wins, then this may be our best bet because he’s apparently quite the fan of earmark spending.

6) If Senator Mary Margaret Haugen can get a special $13 million State budget earmark to build a train station where they don’t want or need a train station then someone in the state legislature who loves us might do the same.

7) Sell existing City property to pay for the purchase of an existing building and remodel it. This may be a little tough to do in this real estate market, and we still have the challenge of the annual operating costs.

8) If the facility is the Frank Wagner Auditorium the School District might be a willing partner. They could maintain ownership, while the City or a Parks District took out a long-term lease on the building and raised the funds to remodel and clean up all the asbestos. I think those costs were estimated in excess of $2 million the last time I heard, but it’s probably the least expensive option.

The school district should not be a first option, in my opinion. Not because they aren’t excited to see a center in Monroe, but because their priorities are different. I recall stories of community theater groups having their rehearsals and practices bumped because a teacher wanted to use the stage for something for the kids. That kind of thing happens too frequently, and it’s frustrating for the theater groups to deal with. Again, it’s not because the school district isn’t supportive of the local arts scene…they just understandably have different priorities, the kids.

I’ll be anxious to see what, if anything, comes of these discussions. Usually it takes a few dedicated souls quite a while to make something happen. I think the Monroe Arts Council has those dedicated souls, now we’ll see how long it takes to make it a reality.

By the way, there is a meeting where they will be discussing all this if you’d like to attend.

Planning meeting
The Monroe Arts Council’s next planning meeting for a new performing arts center is 6:30 p.m. July 9 at the Sky Valley Education Center, 17072 Tye St., Monroe. For more information, e-mail council president Leonie Saaski at monroeartscouncil@gmail.com.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 16th, 2008 at 1:55 am and is filed under Community Forum, Parks, the Arts and Kids, Local Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.