Millions for a private enterprise???? I should say they do need to step up their fundraising!! If the owners can't fix it up sell it to someone who can.
It turns out the city's working sales tax list doesn't have $6 million for the Miller Theatre after all.
Because of the way the Augusta Symphony wrote up the application in its first request for funds, a portion of the special-purpose sales tax money might go to the Augusta Mini Theatre. But how much is uncertain.
When the symphony first requested funds for its Augusta Theatre District Project, it sought $12 million to restore the historic theater on Broad Street and $2 million for the Mini Theatre to finish building its arts school off Deans Bridge Road.
City Administrator Fred Russell cut the initial sales tax list from $641.2 million to $185.3 million in December, leaving in $6 million for the Augusta Symphony and saying it was for the Miller Theatre. Building owner Peter Knox IV estimated last summer that renovations could be done for that amount, but symphony officials have since said it will take $12 million to retrofit it as a performing arts venue.
Symphony president-elect Joe Huff gave a presentation on the theater at an commission workshop meeting Thursday, backed by more than a dozen people in the audience wearing "Friend of the Miller" stickers on their shirts. Afterward, Mayor Pro Tem Alvin Mason pressed him on whether part of the $6 million was for the Mini Theatre, and he became visibly impatient when Mr. Huff couldn't give a definitive answer.
"To me, it's very simple," Mr. Mason said. "It is a yes or a no answer."
Mr. Huff told commissioners when he found out the symphony was only getting $6 million, his initial reaction was to give the Mini Theatre a pro-rated portion - which calculates to about $860,000. Mini Theatre founder and executive director Tyrone Butler told the board he still wants $2 million to build a theater to go with the school and administration buildings, and if he can't have part of the symphony's $6 million, he'd make his own request separately.
Commissioner Corey Johnson asked Mr. Butler what he could do if he only got about $500,000, to which Mr. Butler said he'd build what he can with what he gets.
Mr. Russell took blame for the misunderstanding, and said the two organizations can work out their shares, or the commission should decide whether to split the application in two. There's still time to fine-tune the list, he said.
Mr. Huff said after the meeting that when the pared down sales tax list came out in December, he thought the $6 million was for the Miller only. If the project gets less than that, the symphony will have to step up its fundraising, he said.
The organization was already planning to raise the other half of the $12 million, which it says it needs to reopen the Miller .
"We need to get with Tyrone, who's our partner in this application, and figure out what works," Mr. Huff said.
Reach Johnny Edwards at (706) 823-3225 or johnny.edwards@augustachronicle.com.
Comments
Millions for a private enterprise???? I should say they do need to step up their fundraising!! If the owners can't fix it up sell it to someone who can.
"Private Enterprise"?? The Symphony and Mini Theatre are both 501c3, Non Profit organizations. That's not private enterprise!
Tyrone has received 100's of thousands of dollars (millions if you total it) from each SPLOST and still the 'Mini-Theater' is not built. I would suggest that items like this be put on the SPLOST vote as line items, like they did the Performing Arts Center and Mr. Morris' Arena out at Regency Mall. Then the voters can decide if Tyrone deserves MORE money from the public to build his dream. The Mini-Theatre is to be built in the Laney Walker area and is geared for African-American's. I bet the Augusta Symphony thought that if they tied their request to them that it would help pass it with the African-American Commissioners. It was obvious their thinking was right given this little nugget in the story, "Mayor Pro Tem Alvin Mason pressed him on whether part of the $6 million was for the Mini Theatre, and he became visibly impatient when Mr. Huff couldn't give a definitive answer." Too bad Fred threw a monkey wrench into THAT gear box by cutting their money so much. I say give the both all the money they asked for. Give the Miller 12million and give the Mini-Theatre 2million and put it on the SPLOST as line items so the voters can choose what they want to fund outside infrastructure
And just for the record, I am not against the Mini-Theatre or the fact that Tyrone wants a seperate African-American theatre group in Augusta. It just seems that he gets a sizable amount of money from every SPLOST and yet never seems to get enough to finish. I would like the Augusta Symphony AND the Mini-Theatre to get the total 14million. Why not? SPLOST is supposed to be to help with quality of life stuff too. The Miller is an amazing building and would be an asset to the community. I just want them to be line items on teh ballot, that's all.
Confusion is the right word, alright. The Knox Family has contributed major bucks to the Mini Theater. Peter Knox's attempts to save the Miller may be weakened by giving the Mini Theatre a large share of the $6 million.
It seems that an audit going back some years on the Mini Theatre may be in order. Since they have recieved all this money and it's still not there.
And please don't take my word for it. Look into it. I know for a fact that they received at least two pots of money that came to around 1.2million of tax funds. I may be off on the exact figures but I am almost certian that one was $500,000 and another was $700,000. They have also received State funds and regular money not to mention donations from corporations. Tyrone has made a pretty good living off of the Mini-Theatre and good for him, but if his org is the obsatcle to the AS getting the money it needs for the Miller, I say seperate them and put them on the vote as line items with the full amounts and see what the voters say about it. Fair is fair.
How about cut out the $8 million from the SPLOST that Fred Russell wants to buy the Regency Mall property and dedicate it to The Miller? Russell has no plan for what to do with the Regency Mall, but wants to spend more money on it than on The Miller, which has concrete plan to retrofit it into a perfoming arts venue.
trukinranger why would getting kids involve in arts, music, and acting probably be a waste of money. I don't know about you but i want to educate as many kids in the augusta area as i can. And brad owens the mini theatre is going on deans bridge rd not on laney walker.
hillguy the regency mall is a eyesore. And needs to be tore down. A vacant parking lot would look 20 times better than a huge empty building. I am all for demolishing regency mall.
Where exactly on Deans Bridge Road?
But Brad isn't SPLOST for infrastructure only? And if it is does the city own the MILLER and the MINI? How are their boards elected and who serves on them to represent the taxpayers paying for them?
SPLOST is not just for roads and ditches .. it can be for really whatever voters decide that want it to fund.
The best suggestion I see in all these comments is the one that "items ... be put on the SPLOST vote as line items." Let the voters decide where they want their money spent!
Sprintman forgets that the Regency Mall "building" he wants city taxpayers to tear down actually BELONGS to someone. Would he want the city to tear down his garage because someone thinks something else would look better?
The Regency Mall brings us 50,000.00 a year in property taxes. Why take this off the tax digest. When has the government been given the right to sieze anothers property just because its empty. Yea they should keep it mowed but other than that its not the governments business.
8 million won't touch razing the mall, we must consider all the asbestos and environmental aspects.
I think some people prefer the gov't control the private market which would be disastrous.
I agree Joe. Stick to your guns on this. Also, have Sherman use the Mothball ordinance to MAKE them do what needs to be done there. I would much rather they give the money to the AS for the Miller than to something like that. Also, your body can list these on the ballot however you choose. I would ask you to consider placing the Miller on the ballot as an individual issue and make it for the full 12 million dollars. DISSMAN, yes, SPLOST is supposed to be for what is called 'brick and mortar' items, BUT helping civic groups build, buy, and renovate structures is OK too. They just didn't want this to become a replacment for general operating funds.
Sure I would love to see something done with Regency Mall, but I think there are greater priorities, such as restoring an Augusta landmark and creating a first rate ent.ertainment venue. I cannot see spending $8 million in tax money to buy the regency mall, as Mr. Bowles said, that figure will not pay for razing the mall. This is private property, as long as the owners keep it up to code, then the city should stay out of it. Regency Mall is not the only empty shopping center in Augusta. Will it now be the policy for the city to buy up every empty or near empty shopping center in the city with taxpayer money? Fred Russel wants to spend $8 million of the regency mall white elephant with no plans of what to do with it. As others have pointed out, at least it is generating property tax revenue.
It is way past time to audit The Mini-Theatre as it has been receiving money since the days Charles Walker was in office and still it is not built. Where did all that money go?
2548 Deans Bridge Road, Augusta, Georgia is where the Mini Theater is being built. It's all kind of weird with the Knox family giving them lots of money, yet, part of the Miller money being siphoned off to the Mini Theater. It sounds like an education thing that is not in the parameters of the County Commission. It is more geared toward the BOE and Dr. Bedden. As far as Regency Mall, they should get a movie crew to come in and use it to the point of destruction. Let the private owner keep it until he is ready to give it away. First rule of buying real estate, wait um out.
Regency Mall would be a perfect set location for a remake of Return of the Living Dead or some post apocalyptic movie in the vein of Mad Max.
This is yet another example of the incompetence of Fred Russell in handling these SPLOST packages. Isn't about time the city looked for a new administrator?
The city went through some very competent administrators, white and black, quickly. Russell has hung in there somehow. I have no complaints with him. It takes a magician to survive like he has. Who do y'all think would apply for the position here? We better hang onto Fred.
May as well start a fund for restoring the old Regal Cinema while you're at it. In another forty years it will need saving. And the Mini Theatre will still be unbuilt.
Come on, RM. Fred (What, me worry?) Russell hangs on to his job because he always says, "Yes, ma'am," to Betty Beard. He is killing residential and corporate taxpayers by going along with the funding requests for Mini Theatre, Laney Museum, and a thousand other of Ms. Beard's pet projects.
"The Mini-Theatre is to be built in the Laney Walker area and is geared for African-American's." This smacks of segregation by the black community and I am TOTALLY AGAINST IT. Using tax dollars for one specific group, miniority or not, is favoritism. If a specific group wants a segregated theater, then go out and raise PRIVATE FUNDS-and by all means, call it a PRIVATE THEATER that is NOT opened to the general public.
mable8, it is at the end of MLK Drive, not Laney Walker, my mistake. But still, where has all the money gone?
I thought segregation ended in the 60s....why are we still clinging on to the notion here in Augusta in 2009?
I'm not sure why we are so fascinated exactly where this building is located.
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