In Monday’s (5/13) Sacramento Bee (California), Ryan Lillis writes, “Art or basketball? The city of Sacramento says it can do both. Reacting to concerns that subsidizing a new downtown sports arena could hurt funding for the arts, the City Council last week delivered a boost to some of the city’s marquee cultural organizations and committed to helping others in coming months. … By a 7-1 vote Tuesday, the council set aside $8.5 million toward the renovation of the Community Center Theater, dedicated up to $5 million for a renovated facility for the Sacramento Ballet, Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra and Sacramento Opera, and voted to forgive up to $7.5 million in loans to the Crocker Art Museum. … While the expanded Crocker has become the jewel of Sacramento’s cultural scene, the city has yet to succeed in upgrading its 39-year-old Community Center Theater despite a decade of effort. The theater sits prominently on L Street, next to the Sacramento Convention Center, and houses the city’s four major performing arts groups: the California Musical Theatre, the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra, the Sacramento Ballet and the Sacramento Opera. City officials say it needs $50 million worth of upgrades, including major renovations required to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.”
Posted May 14, 2013
