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Dream of New Tampa arts center dissolves

By DEMORRIS LEE
Published August 25, 2005

NEW TAMPA - Citing a lack of support from the county and the city, a group formed to build a cultural arts center in New Tampa has abandoned the mission.

The nonprofit New Tampa Cultural Arts Center will no longer look for land for a center, the group announced this week.

As part of its dissolution, the organization's board voted to distribute its assets to the New Tampa Players, a local community theatrical group, and other New Tampa not-for-profit interests in support of the arts.

"We reached a point in this effort where the political forces were not lining up behind us," said Graeme Woodbrook, the president and force behind the New Tampa Cultural Arts Center.

"Since the city was about to spend over $22,000 to do a feasibility study, I felt with good conscience I could not take that money if the support is not there."

Board member Doug Wall agreed.

"I am saddened by having to make this decision, but it was very obvious that we were not getting the support from the city and county as a whole, and I feel the New Tampa community did not embrace this project like it could have," Wall said.

In January 2002 the group registered as a nonprofit and began to establish itself as a formidable arts organization. Leaders planned and hosted several concerts and named the New Tampa Players as their resident theater group.

The organization operated under the premise that it would get land from either the county or the city to build a facility. A city-funded feasibility study in 2003 concluded that New Tampa could support such a center. But city officials wanted to limit its size to 350 seats, in part to ensure no competition with Tampa's downtown arts scene.

Even with this limited size, it was a struggle to line up the land.

Hillsborough County government initially indicated that the center could get a portion of 81 acres it had purchased from St. Joseph's Hospital on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. But in April the county said it needed all that land for a rention pond as workers widened Bruce B. Downs.

Organizers then cast their sights on a piece of city-owned land. Under that scenario, the city would swap some land with St. James United Methodist Church, leaving a section for the cultural arts center.

At a recent meeting of city officials, Woodbrook said, he learned that officials "were not even sure that that was going to happen, and if the deal did go through, the acreage would be less than four acres."

Others describe the meeting differently.

Santiago Corrada, the city's Neighborhood Services administrator, said he doesn't recall having a discussion with Woodbrook about the land. He said that he, Assistant City Attorney Morris Massey, city parks and recreation director Karen Palus and City Council member Shawn Harrison were talking about the need for parks in New Tampa.

"Graeme just showed up," Corrada said. At that point, "we discussed the scope of the feasibility study."

Palus said the city has been in discussions with St. James about a potential land swap but that "there is nothing in the works."

Harrison is disappointed that the cultural center didn't get more support.

"I certainly gave it my best shot to build that support at the City Council and with two mayors, and to some extent, at the County Commission as well," he said. Jennifer Barnekow, president of the New Tampa Players and the wife of board member Doug Wall, said she is disappointed but remains positive that her troupe will find a permanent home.

"While we are saddened, we don't see it as a death knell for us, and we are going to move forward and look at it optimistically," Barnekow said.

Demorris Lee can be reached at 813 269-5312 or dalee@sptimes.com

[Last modified August 25, 2005, 00:52:33]