Expanded use considered for arts center
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

After two hours of public testimony from a crowd of about 100 people who came to convey support and concerns about the High Street Arts Center, members of the Moorpark Redevelopment Agency voted Wednesday to continue to honor a threeyear commitment to subsidize the center until June 2009 under the current operating model.

The agency, comprised of all five City Council members, also voted to reevaluate the center's operations to see if it's possible to expand programs and open the theater for other groups to attract more patrons and serve all facets of the community.

City officials also agreed to form a nonprofit arts foundation and they opted to create an ad hoc committee to gauge new programming concepts and profitability matters.

"This will still take time," said Councilmember Roseann Mikos who proposed the motions.

Speakers were somewhat divided on how the theater should operate. Some donned large yellow badges in support of the work of theater manager L.J. Stevens who has been trying to bring highquality productions to the local venue while others said they endorse an operation model proposal by Mayor Patrick Hunter to expand the theater's use.

However, all the speakers in attendance clearly said they want the theater to stay open because it benefits the community as a whole.

"The theater is like the lone ranger on High Street, like a beacon in the night there," said Stuart Cooper, a professional writer and director who lives in Moorpark.

The street needs to catch up with the theater and once it does, the area will become a center to Moorpark, he said.

"The arts center is a very worthwhile enterprise and the city should be proud of that venue," said Bill Amador, who supports Steven's programming efforts.

City officials had voted 4-1 in favor of subsidizing the center at $100,000 for three years in April 2006 and to re-evaluate the plan thereafter. Hunter cast the lone dissenting vote at the time.

The passionate discussions that took place Wednesday were incited by Hunter's concerns over fiscal shortfalls and his recent proposal to allow more groups to use the center to maximize profits and reduce the need to use tax dollars to sustain the facility.

According to Hunter, a report presented to members of the agency in 2006 grossly underestimated the level of financial subsidy required to maintain the theater. The operations will cost $420,000 for three years instead of $300,000 as predicted, Hunter stated in a business plan proposal titled "The High Street Arts Center, A New Beginning."

Many speakers endorsed Hunter's idea to broaden the venue's offerings and allow more groups to utilize the center while reducing operating costs. The mayor proposed to add programs for the Hispanic community and children and suggested adding music concerts, film festivals, melodramas and more.

"I support Mayor Hunter's plan because as a member of this community, I feel excluded," said long-time Moorpark resident Pam Castro, indicating the Latino community is underserved.

Other individuals backed the current operating model.

"Far from being the underachieving arts center, I see the arts center as making incredible progress," said Clint Harper, chair of the Moorpark Arts Commission.

Developing a community arts center takes at least five years and the audience will grow over time, he said.

"I personally reject the notion that the theater is a failure" said Mikos. "The $130,000 annual subsidy divided into a $62-million city and redevelopment agency budget that is less than one quarter of one percent of our entire budget," she said.

Some believe tax dollars shouldn't be used to sustain the arts center for the long term.

"What you've done with your theater is good for the city and it's admirable to try to promote the arts," said Ventura County Supervisor Peter Foy, specifying he was speaking as a concerned taxpayer and county resident.

However, elected officials must use taxpayers' funds wisely.

"There are a lot of things that can be done with taxpayer dollars," Foy said. Moorpark officials should seek a freemarket way to support the arts center.

"Government should not run these things- it should stay out of that," he said, adding arts enthusiasts are better able to build support and raise money for the arts center,

Stevens said she was pleased with the support she received from the public and from the city.

"The open discussion will have a positive effect on what we're trying to accomplish as a cultural arts center. I applaud the City Council's decision to more forward with the threeyear commitment to this venture," she said.

"We're off to a good start and what I heard is that everybody thinks we can do better in the future," said City Manager Steven Kueny at the end of the deliberations.