Auditorium's viability as entertainment venue in question at CAPC meeting

EUREKA SPRINGS -- "The days of the Auditorium being the music venue of Northwest Arkansas are long gone."

With these words, City Advertising and Promotion Commission (CAPC) Executive Director Jim Williams engaged commissioners in a debate on May 27 about the future role of the CAPC in maintaining the Aud.

Too much competition

In a letter presented to the commission before sending it on to City Council, Williams said, "You've got too many venues in too many locations in the I-540 corridor, as well as Little Rock [and elsewhere] to think we're going to get people to come from those areas. We're kidding ourselves to think we can use that facility to bring in tourists. We have a 1,000-seat facility, and the biggest event we've got lined up for the Blues Weekend has sold 80 tickets [as of May 27, the Wednesday prior to the weekend]."

Auditorium Manager Nancy Baptiste reported later that the majority of the tickets sold for the weekend were walk-ups sold "at the last minute," though final figures were not available at press time.

CAPC won't keep paying utility bills

The letter from the CAPC to the city says the commission lacks the funds to support the $400,000 to $500,000 worth of repairs estimated by a recent engineering study of the structure, which will celebrate its 80th anniversary in September.

The letter further says the CAPC will no longer pay utility bills on the building after January 1, 2010, although, because it maintains a special events office there, it is willing to negotiate an agreement for paying a percentage of the bills after that date.

Back to the city, gradually

Williams said he had been trying to shift running the facility back to the city gradually.

"If we can shift it back over time, that is helpful to special events," said Williams. "Our cost in [contributing] wouldn't be an inordinate amount of our budget. The mayor is agreeable to doing that. This year the city is paying us the real price of paying for the public facilities, so we're shifting that a bit at a time. I've been trying to go about an orderly transition of those responsibilities from us back to the city, and that's my course, unless you want to take a quicker one."

The commission approved the letter.

Arts council appointed

Williams said Mayor Dani Joy has appointed an Arts Council and he had met with them recently.

"They are looking at what their mission is," Williams said. "They are talking to Crystal Bridges in Bentonville and there is talk of an 'Arts Trail' between Kansas City, Tulsa, Bentonville and Eureka Springs. When you're enthused [by the museums] and you come to Eureka Springs, where do you go and what do you do?"

He said one idea was for the Arts Council to provide visitors with that information.

"There's a perception going around town that their mission is to take care of the Artery, but that's not what the mayor and I had in mind when we talked about it," Williams added.

New visitors center?

Williams said negotiations are underway for a possible new visitors center on US62E between Hwy. 23N and Hwy. 23S.

"The offer we made was if they build it, we will staff it," Williams said. He added the Chamber of Commerce and the CAPC would have office spaces in the second floor of the two-storey structure, with the visitors center below.

Financials

In her financial report for April, which reflected money collected in March, CAPC Director of Operations Sheila Hulsey said the CAPC's balance stood at $240,748, and so far had collected $73,300, or 3.3 percent more than the projected $71,000 for the year to date and 8.2 percent more than collected the same time a year ago.

She said lodging was up 17.2 percent, and restaurants were down only 0.2 percent under last year.