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Monday, March 24, 2008

The list of those who would benefit from the proposed performing arts center in Vancouver goes on and on and includes people who will never step foot in it.

On the other hand, the “list” of ways Vancouver taxpayers could lose on the deal is short and indirect, so we’ll get that out of the way first.

The City Council last week wisely agreed in principle to put a two-year “hold” on any efforts to sell the block immediately northeast of Esther Short Park,  bounded by Eighth, Ninth, Columbia and Washington streets. The city is giving a nonprofit group called Southwest Washington Center for the Arts that time to raise a specified percentage of money for (1) building the center and (2) funding an endowment to operate the center.

The rest of the endowment will be paid by local developer and Vancouver native Paul Christensen. He and former state Rep. Val Ogden are two of the driving forces behind the project.

In an extraordinary display of civic generosity and passion for the arts, Christensen will build condominiums on part of the block, which the arts group would buy from the city, and donate proceeds to operation of the center.

But if the fund-raising benchmarks are not reached in two years, the city will lift the “hold” and sell or lease the land on the open market. So, the potential down side for taxpayers is if the arts group fails to meet the benchmarks and the city has missed an opportunity to sell or lease the site during that time, perhaps to a company providing lots of jobs.

But otherwise, the city is into this project for nothing except the “hold” and its best wishes.

On the other hand, the list of beneficiaries of the proposed center is long. It includes those who participate in and those who would attend: plays, the symphony, dances, concerts, music festivals (jazz, folk, bluegrass, barbershop quartets, etc.), art shows, lectures, political speeches and rallies, graduation ceremonies, wedding receptions, bar mitzvahs, etc.

Ogden says the venue would be aggressively marketed and performers, lecturers and others now appearing in Portland would be courted to come here. Besides a 1,500-seat theater and a much smaller “black box” theater, it is envisioned that the center will have a large lobby suitable for events and exhibits.

Businesses in the area such as restaurants and shops also will benefit by proximity to the center. And Ogden and Christensen say a first-class performing arts center in Vancouver will help hospitals, high-tech companies and other employers recruit in-demand employees who seek a good quality of life as well as good pay and benefits. Chief executive officers have told them an arts center — like good schools, proximity to the mountains and ocean and attractive neighborhoods — help them lure people.

New Vancouver City councilman Pat Campbell was the only no vote for the two-year “hold.” He said Friday he thinks there is “a lot of unfounded optimism on the council” about prospects for an arts center and the land should be used for business development instead.

He’s right about the optimism. A verdict on the “unfounded” part is yet to come. The two-year “hold” is small price to pay for the potential benefits to the community.