keoadmin
01-06-2004, 07:42 PM
COMMENTARY
Can we really afford that civic center?
DAVE BAITY THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER Oct. 05, 2003
Charlotte, North Carolina
Gastonia's Tourism Development Authority last week voted to spend more than $48,000 to determine whether it's feasible for the city to finally build a civic center.
I wonder whether, as my grandparents would have said, this is another case of throwing money down a rat hole.
It seems to me the need for a civic center and whether Gastonia could finance one has been studied to death. The issue has been hanging fire since the late 1960s.
Council members, consultants and citizens groups alike have delved into the idea time and time again. The business community has always endorsed the need. And past studies have proposed ways to pay for it.
The problem has always been convincing taxpayers that the political leaders and business folk are right. And that it's worth the investment.
One of the most in-depth studies was conducted over about three years by a citizens group headed by businessman Tim Grooms. The group said in 1993 that Gastonia was losing money to Charlotte and other nearby cities by not having a place that would attract trade shows, concerts and theatrical events -- and that residents could use for civic events.
Grooms' group suggested erecting a center on 28 acres at Broad Street and Long Avenue, a portion of which is occupied now by the Farmers Market and the city's recycling center. Debate over the best location for the center helped defeat the $25 million bond referendum needed to finance the city's share of the project.
When the old First Baptist Church sanctuary at Franklin Boulevard and South Street (now Unity Place) became available, planners figured adding to that structure would be a *****er alternative. About the same time, a Charlotte developer proposed converting the old Firestone Mill on Second Avenue into a civic center, hotel with a banquet room, and condos and shops.
Council members almost grudgingly put a $14 million bond referendum before the voters in 1998 to expand the church, but did little to promote it. Work by a citizens group to get the bond passed failed to overcome voter confusion about which would be a better location. As a result, the bond package suffered a resounding defeat.
Almost surely, the proposed study will say there is a need for a civic center and suggest ways to finance it. It's unlikely voters and taxpayers will endorse it unless leaders give it strong backing -- and a convincing argument that the investment won't bankrupt the city.
Can we really afford that civic center?
DAVE BAITY THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER Oct. 05, 2003
Charlotte, North Carolina
Gastonia's Tourism Development Authority last week voted to spend more than $48,000 to determine whether it's feasible for the city to finally build a civic center.
I wonder whether, as my grandparents would have said, this is another case of throwing money down a rat hole.
It seems to me the need for a civic center and whether Gastonia could finance one has been studied to death. The issue has been hanging fire since the late 1960s.
Council members, consultants and citizens groups alike have delved into the idea time and time again. The business community has always endorsed the need. And past studies have proposed ways to pay for it.
The problem has always been convincing taxpayers that the political leaders and business folk are right. And that it's worth the investment.
One of the most in-depth studies was conducted over about three years by a citizens group headed by businessman Tim Grooms. The group said in 1993 that Gastonia was losing money to Charlotte and other nearby cities by not having a place that would attract trade shows, concerts and theatrical events -- and that residents could use for civic events.
Grooms' group suggested erecting a center on 28 acres at Broad Street and Long Avenue, a portion of which is occupied now by the Farmers Market and the city's recycling center. Debate over the best location for the center helped defeat the $25 million bond referendum needed to finance the city's share of the project.
When the old First Baptist Church sanctuary at Franklin Boulevard and South Street (now Unity Place) became available, planners figured adding to that structure would be a *****er alternative. About the same time, a Charlotte developer proposed converting the old Firestone Mill on Second Avenue into a civic center, hotel with a banquet room, and condos and shops.
Council members almost grudgingly put a $14 million bond referendum before the voters in 1998 to expand the church, but did little to promote it. Work by a citizens group to get the bond passed failed to overcome voter confusion about which would be a better location. As a result, the bond package suffered a resounding defeat.
Almost surely, the proposed study will say there is a need for a civic center and suggest ways to finance it. It's unlikely voters and taxpayers will endorse it unless leaders give it strong backing -- and a convincing argument that the investment won't bankrupt the city.