MCPAC A "LONG SHOT"

Missoula City Council Committee Rejects Arts Center Extension

By Emily Darrell, 11-14-07

In a 9 to 3 vote Wednesday the Administration and Finance Committee of the Missoula City Council rejected a motion to allow the Missoula Community Performing Arts Center (MCPAC) another 18 months to hold onto a piece of the Riverfront Triangle development site at Orange and Front streets.

The committee advocating the building of the MCPAC has had a reservation on the city-owned land since 2004. No council members argued against the idea of building a top-of-the-line performing arts center, but objected mainly to the center’s $60 million dollar price tag.

The motion will now be moved to the floor of City Council for a vote. The meeting will be held Monday night at 7:00 at 140 W. Pine St.

MCPAC is proposing that $40 million of the building costs come from private donors while the other $20 million will come from Missoula County taxpayers in the form of a bond.

Jim Valeo, a member of the MCPAC board, spoke in front of the Administration and Finance Committee to try and persuade them to grant MCPAC another a year and a half to come up with an initial $15 to $20 million in private donations. He argued that the project would have “enormous economic benefits” for the city of Missoula.

Several council members, including Heidi Kendall and Jon Wilkins, expressed uncertainty that MCPAC could come up with the private donations.

“I don’t think the donors are out there,” Kendall said.

Kendall also doubted that Missoula voters would approve the $20 million dollar bond.

Marilyn Marler, who voted in favor of extending MCPAC’s reservation, also expressed skepticism that the bond would pass. However, she said, “I would really like to see this project happen.”

Councilman Bob Jaffe worried that the center would not be a financially self-sustaining operation and would have to receive heavy subsidies from the City.

Valeo said that the center would not ask the city for any money, yet said he was hopeful that the city would offer it up if necessary.

“I’m skeptical of the concept of ‘We won’t ask but we hope they’ll give’,” Kendall said.

Many members of the public spoke in favor of granting MCPAC an extended reservation on the land.

Daniel Kemmis of the Missoula Redevelopment Agency said that there was “no immediate urgency” to deny the motion to extend the land reservation.

Kemmis admitted: “[The project] is a long shot. It’s a big project and there are a lot of ways it could fail to happen.” But he said that the possibility for the center should be kept alive. He said that a “no” vote would likely discourage any potential donors from backing the project because of the lack of government support.

An employee of St. Pat’s Hospital and a member of the Missoula Downtown Association also spoke in support of extending the reservation.

Although only one member of the public spoke out against the project, the majority of the committee members just didn’t believe in its feasibility.

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