Forum set to reassess arts center proposal

The $10-million cultural project might be too costly and unrealistic, some Spring Hill officials say.

By JOY DAVIS-PLATT, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 6, 2003

SPRING HILL -- Last year, the Hernando County Fine Arts Council unveiled a plan for its long-anticipated Nimmagadda Cultural Center. The price tag was $10-million.

Since then, little has been heard from the council. In that vacuum, questions were raised about the feasibility of a project of such a grand scale. The council assured donors they were reassessing the project's direction and scope but said little else publicly.

Now, with $700,000 in its coffers, the council plans a forum early next month to discuss the issue with community leaders and determine the level of public support for the project. The meeting date will be announced in a letter from council chairwoman Barbara Manuel in this month's edition of the council's newsletter.

"Cost on the project spiraled away from what we had originally envisioned for the project," Manuel said. "It went beyond what we determined to be realistically feasible."

Besides the more than 3,000 people who receive the newsletter, council adviser Vince Vanni plans to send 170 invitations to the meeting.

"Over the last eight months, we've come to realize that the face of Hernando County is changing," Vanni said.

During the summer, Vanni said, the number of calls from new residents interested in his acting, art and voice classes partially sponsored by the council was overwhelming.

"It was a real shocker," he said. "Summer is normally slow, but we've been deluged by parents."

The new information has led to the realization that space needs they didn't have a year ago may now exist.

At the forum, which Vanni calls a summit, the council will be asking about where the project should go -- if anywhere -- and what the project should include.

"If they say we should go for it, they'd better have a check to go along with it," he said. "If they want us to stay the course, we need them to be willing to back it up with resources."

That said, he stressed that all suggestions must be realistic.

"The plans will change based on supply and demand," Vanni said. "We know that we cannot build something of the magnitude of what was originally presented with the resources available."

Meanwhile, Manuel said, donations to the project are being held in trust. Working capital for the cost of things such as grant writing and architectural fees has been generated through council fundraising events.

A number of corporate donors for the project, including the St. Petersburg Times and Oak Hill Hospital, have suspended payments on their pledges until plans for the center are more certain.

"We've made a conscious decision not to ask for a single dime until we've clarified what we are going to do," Vanni said. "We're asking people not to send us any money for the time being."

Len Gravitz, a Tarpon Springs consultant and fundraiser, will facilitate the meeting.

"These are highly dedicated people firmly convinced -- with good reason -- that this is a growing county and the sophistication level is going up day by day," he said. "My role is to help them take a look at where they are and where they want to be."

Though they might be getting a late start on the fact-finding portion of their mission, Gravitz said, the council is riding the crest of expansion in Hernando County.

"I can understand their angst," he said. "But that's why they are bringing in someone who's not emotionally involved, so the rest of the community will see they are going through a process that makes sense."

In her letter, Manuel writes that funds are needed before construction begins, and that public support will be vital as the project reaches a crucial juncture.

"People have been patient, but this is a crossroads and we need to know the public is behind us," she said. "Fifteen people can't do it by themselves.'"

The meeting, open to the public, will be at 7 p.m. April 3 at Silverthorn Country Club. RSVP by March 31 to Barbara Manuel at 796-7469.

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