keoadmin
01-06-2004, 07:28 PM
Aging Civic Center still a hurdle for downtown
By Melissa Williams
ASHEVILLE CITIZEN-TIMES Jan. 25, 2003
http://cgi.citizen-times.com/cgi-bin/story/downtown/27479
ASHEVILLE - The 29-year-old Asheville Civic Center is downtown's sleeping giant.
A giant that ate more than $1 million in taxpayer subsidies last fiscal year and that will be eat another $667,901 this year.
Civic Center Director David Pisha said there was good attendance news overall at the facility, from July through December, the first half of the current fiscal year.
"Our concert revenue last year was $404,000, and this year it's $418,000," Pisha said, noting the numbers are up even after the demise of the Asheville Smoke pro-hockey team, which went bankrupt in 2002.
"That (attendance) maybe doesn't seem like much, but where other arenas are crying for business in this economy, we're doing tremendously," Pisha said.
But after nearly 10 years of city council urgency on how to chart the facility's future in a world of higher-tech, more attractive venues, the issue seems to be snarled in a statewide budget deficit and a lack of consensus on what to do next.
Mayor Charles Worley says the center is "number one on the list" of the city's priorities for this year, and that he's "hopeful" the General Assembly will approve a funding source to rebuild the venue, most likely a prepared food and beverage tax that would largely be paid by tourists.
Council members have agreed not to use property taxes to pay for Civic Center upgrades, but they still haven't agreed on what those upgrades should be.
Right now, the city has a concept for the facility, developed in 2001 by architects with the Atlanta-based firm Heery International. That concept includes a renovated downtown facility with a new lower arena, an exhibit hall, kitchen facilities and a state-of-the-art performance center to replace the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, built in 1939.
The former city council approved Heery's concept in 2001, but last March, the current board balked at a potential renovation price tag that ranges from $80 million to more than $115 million with a reconfiguration of downtown streets to improve pedestrian and vehicle access around the venue.
Councilman Brian Peterson, who voted against the Heery plan in 2001, said he thinks much of the urgency around the Civic Center issue was probably unnecessary.
"A lot of the rhetoric over the last five years has been we have to do something or something terrible is going to happen," he said. "We're limping along, but it may not be the crisis that everyone's been predicting. I think tax structures and police and fire protection are more important and have a more direct impact on a lot more people."
Of the Heery plan, he says now, "We haven't said no to it. We've just ignored it. I think most people know it's completely unrealistic."
Meanwhile, the facility seems to age in dog years, surpassed by the technology and amenities available at other venues.
In 2001, NBA officials crafted a contract with the city to house the minor-league Asheville Altitude here as part of the eight-team National Basketball Development League. The team is in the second season of a three-season initial deal.
By the end of those three years, the NBA expects plans for a new facility to be under way. If so, the league has the option to extend the contract another seven years. If not, basketball could leave the Civic Center and Asheville behind.
The Altitude haven't drawn very big crowds, but have noted an increase to 1,436 fans per game from 1,385. Team President Alfred White said he doesn't think the facility is to blame, and he hasn't gotten word from higher-ups that the team may be moving.
"During (NBA Commissioner) David Stern's visit, he was complimentary of the arena in terms of functionality," White said. "And the city has done some cosmetic improvements with a new paint job and improvements to the locker rooms. But from the commissioner's standpoint, if we aren't hitting our attendance goals, that's our responsibility."
White said the Altitude are dealing with some negative perceptions of downtown that keep people away from the central city and the arena.
"People say there's not enough parking, and they don't want to walk a block and get panhandled," he said. "That's not just an Altitude problem, it's a downtown business problem, and we're just another downtown business."
Council holds a monthly informational update on plans for the Civic Center future, and have agreed to delay decisions about its future while local developers float ideas for building their own new sports or arts facilities.
Architect Crawford Murphy and some associates want to build a performing arts center on College Street near the Renaissance Asheville hotel. The center, an alternative to placing a new performing arts center at the Civic Center on Haywood Street, would be on the parking lot between College Street and the hotel.
Funding has not been secured yet, but preliminary figures show a $19.5 million cost for the performing arts center, which includes a $3 million endowment to provide a source for operating funds.
The center would operate as an independent, nonprofit facility, Murphy said.
Contact Williams at 236-8971 or MWilliams@CITIZEN-TIMES.com.
By Melissa Williams
ASHEVILLE CITIZEN-TIMES Jan. 25, 2003
http://cgi.citizen-times.com/cgi-bin/story/downtown/27479
ASHEVILLE - The 29-year-old Asheville Civic Center is downtown's sleeping giant.
A giant that ate more than $1 million in taxpayer subsidies last fiscal year and that will be eat another $667,901 this year.
Civic Center Director David Pisha said there was good attendance news overall at the facility, from July through December, the first half of the current fiscal year.
"Our concert revenue last year was $404,000, and this year it's $418,000," Pisha said, noting the numbers are up even after the demise of the Asheville Smoke pro-hockey team, which went bankrupt in 2002.
"That (attendance) maybe doesn't seem like much, but where other arenas are crying for business in this economy, we're doing tremendously," Pisha said.
But after nearly 10 years of city council urgency on how to chart the facility's future in a world of higher-tech, more attractive venues, the issue seems to be snarled in a statewide budget deficit and a lack of consensus on what to do next.
Mayor Charles Worley says the center is "number one on the list" of the city's priorities for this year, and that he's "hopeful" the General Assembly will approve a funding source to rebuild the venue, most likely a prepared food and beverage tax that would largely be paid by tourists.
Council members have agreed not to use property taxes to pay for Civic Center upgrades, but they still haven't agreed on what those upgrades should be.
Right now, the city has a concept for the facility, developed in 2001 by architects with the Atlanta-based firm Heery International. That concept includes a renovated downtown facility with a new lower arena, an exhibit hall, kitchen facilities and a state-of-the-art performance center to replace the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, built in 1939.
The former city council approved Heery's concept in 2001, but last March, the current board balked at a potential renovation price tag that ranges from $80 million to more than $115 million with a reconfiguration of downtown streets to improve pedestrian and vehicle access around the venue.
Councilman Brian Peterson, who voted against the Heery plan in 2001, said he thinks much of the urgency around the Civic Center issue was probably unnecessary.
"A lot of the rhetoric over the last five years has been we have to do something or something terrible is going to happen," he said. "We're limping along, but it may not be the crisis that everyone's been predicting. I think tax structures and police and fire protection are more important and have a more direct impact on a lot more people."
Of the Heery plan, he says now, "We haven't said no to it. We've just ignored it. I think most people know it's completely unrealistic."
Meanwhile, the facility seems to age in dog years, surpassed by the technology and amenities available at other venues.
In 2001, NBA officials crafted a contract with the city to house the minor-league Asheville Altitude here as part of the eight-team National Basketball Development League. The team is in the second season of a three-season initial deal.
By the end of those three years, the NBA expects plans for a new facility to be under way. If so, the league has the option to extend the contract another seven years. If not, basketball could leave the Civic Center and Asheville behind.
The Altitude haven't drawn very big crowds, but have noted an increase to 1,436 fans per game from 1,385. Team President Alfred White said he doesn't think the facility is to blame, and he hasn't gotten word from higher-ups that the team may be moving.
"During (NBA Commissioner) David Stern's visit, he was complimentary of the arena in terms of functionality," White said. "And the city has done some cosmetic improvements with a new paint job and improvements to the locker rooms. But from the commissioner's standpoint, if we aren't hitting our attendance goals, that's our responsibility."
White said the Altitude are dealing with some negative perceptions of downtown that keep people away from the central city and the arena.
"People say there's not enough parking, and they don't want to walk a block and get panhandled," he said. "That's not just an Altitude problem, it's a downtown business problem, and we're just another downtown business."
Council holds a monthly informational update on plans for the Civic Center future, and have agreed to delay decisions about its future while local developers float ideas for building their own new sports or arts facilities.
Architect Crawford Murphy and some associates want to build a performing arts center on College Street near the Renaissance Asheville hotel. The center, an alternative to placing a new performing arts center at the Civic Center on Haywood Street, would be on the parking lot between College Street and the hotel.
Funding has not been secured yet, but preliminary figures show a $19.5 million cost for the performing arts center, which includes a $3 million endowment to provide a source for operating funds.
The center would operate as an independent, nonprofit facility, Murphy said.
Contact Williams at 236-8971 or MWilliams@CITIZEN-TIMES.com.