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Letter to the editor

Vision now reality

After 10 years of trials and tribulations, the Carrollwood Cultural Center is ready to open.

By Amber Mobley, Times Staff Writer
Published February 15, 2008

Edwin Quinones, 15, center, and Michael Reedy, 17, right, warm up with Blake High School's Jazz Ensemble at the Carrollwood Cultural Center Feb. 10.
	[John Pendygraft | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [Carrie Pratt | Times] An open house runs Monday to Friday the week of March 3.

Born of a partnership between Hillsborough County's Parks and Recreation Department and the nonprofit Friends, the center was conceived a decade ago, when the county was flush with sales tax money from a referendum to build Raymond James Stadium.

Close to $8-million later, the complex, housed in a renovated church, is set to open the week of March 3 offering art exhibits, music recitals, theatrical performances and an assortment of classes.

"There is no instant gratification when you're working in the public arena," said Friends board member John Miley, also a director of the Carrollwood Village Phase II homeowners association and one of the center's earliest backers. "So the fact that it has been, some might think, slow going really suggests that this thing was thought through."

Part of the thought process involved selling the concept to homeowners in Carrollwood Village. Organizers feared the community would not embrace a typical recreation center, drawing hordes of teenagers from higher-crime neighborhoods.

Adding the word culture satisfied those fears. Miley says it's been at least eight years since he has heard any of his neighbors complain.

* * *

County officials approved the project in 2002 and funded it the following year with $2.02-million for acquisition and $1.98-million for remodeling. They bought the St. Mark's Episcopal Church building at Casey and Lowell roads and planned to complete the project in December 2006, said Chuck Kuntz, manager of financial services for the Parks and Recreation Department.

Then the hiccups began.

The church could not relocate as quickly as planned.

"We did roof repairs to protect our investment while the church was still holding services," said parks and recreation spokesman John Brill.

Construction costs increased by $1-million in 2005.

Close to another $1-million went to purchase the Church of Christ at Carrollwood in 2006 as an annex.

Building costs rose again, and the County Commission approved another $1.9-million six months later. Much of this increase was driven by the higher costs of concrete, steel and the fuel to transport them.

"I don't think there's any question that the final price tag has been beyond what anyone anticipated," said Commissioner Ken Hagan. "But throughout the last few years, the cost of every facility and every project - libraries, roads, parks - have all cost more money."

Property tax reform dealt the center another major blow. Anticipating a state overhaul, local governments began to shrink their budgets, freezing all staff positions for the Carrollwood center.

Backers feared the project would remain in limbo unless they could staff the place themselves.

And so on Jan. 3, they convinced the County Commission to transfer management to the Friends group. They also won permission to charge higher fees for the music, dance and art lessons than the bargain rates paid at county-run centers.

The county agreed to subsidize the center with as much as $380,000 a year. This amount is expected to decrease as the Friends raise more money.

Jones says that so far they've raised $70,000, which he considers "pretty good for a building that's not even open yet." He predicts that now that the Friends have been able to hire a manager, uncertainties about the project will fade and contributions will pick up.

"We figure our budget for a year is $1-million," Jones said. "We have to raise funds to supplement the county's contribution. We have a job to do."

* * *

In recent weeks, they have turned management over to stage actor Paul Berg, previously executive director of the Arts Council of Northwest Florida in Pensacola.

Already, Berg has identified some missteps that he feels could have been prevented, had the county been able to hire him sooner.

Designers were too lavish in structuring the center's lights and sound system, he said, buying one that could have served a theater four times the size. That decision cost the Friends an additional $6,200 and the county an extra $42,000. The Friends have already spent $20,000 on the system. Berg expects it will take another $50,000 to finish.

"It was the blind leading the blind until this point," Jones said at a recent Friends board meeting.

Money from the center's first naming rights bid - $12,500 from the Carrollwood Village Homeowners Associations for Phases I, II and III to name a meeting room - will go toward those proverbial bells and whistles.

Hagan, a steadfast supporter, said he hopes the center, once fully operational, will be a model for other communities.

Jones agrees, aware that taxpayers everywhere will be paying close watch.

"It was built with funds from the entire county," said Jones. "The entire county needs to know about it and take advantage of it and get their money's worth."

Amber Mobley can be reached at amobley@sptimes.com or 813 269-5311.

If you go

Carrollwood Cultural Center

An open house at the Carrollwood Cultural Center, 4537 Lowell Road, is scheduled daily March 3-7, 1 p.m. until 8 p.m.

Signup for classes at the Carrollwood Cultural Center starts March 3 through March 7 from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. at the center, 4537 Lowell Road

Classes officially start at the center on March 10.

For more information regarding classes and events, the facilities or membership to the Friends of the Carrollwood Cultural Center, visit the Web site carrollwoodcenter.org or call the center at (813) 269-1310.

A list of the classes offered at the center, 6

[Last modified February 14, 2008, 21:52:42]