The Economy, the Arts, and the Local Community

The Lehigh Valley Arts Council includes me on their distribution list for press announcements and while many don't have a direct Nazareth connection, I do read them and forward them along to others that may be interested.

An announcement sent last week caught my attention as it related to the proposed project to convert 30 Belvidere into a community theatre. Titled, "Whose Business is the Arts? A Public Forum on the Economy, the Arts and the Community," the release noted:

$169.1 million! That's how much the Lehigh Valley's nonprofit arts industry contributes to the Lehigh Valley region annually.

This is just one of the major findings that will be revealed at the Whose Business is the Arts? Public Forum, presented by the Lehigh Valley Arts Council and Lehigh Valley Partnership. The event will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., on Tuesday, October 30, 2007, at the Lehigh County Government Center in Allentown. The forum will allow participants to examine and explore the value of the arts community in terms of its impact on the local economy, the mutual benefits for arts and business and tourism, and the enhancement of our overall quality of life.

You can view and download both the summary and Lehigh Valley report (both in PDF).

The report also explains: "The local data reveals that the Lehigh Valley’s nonprofit arts industry generates $169.11 million in economic activity annually, including:

• 6,216 full-time equivalent jobs
• $92,956,000 in resident household income
• $6.817,000 in local government tax revenues
• $11,130,000 in state government tax revenues"

The value of converting 30 Belvidere to a community theatre cannot be underestimated. The problem we face in Nazareth is how to get the job the done in a timely fashion.

Borough Council has been open to the concept, but most likely will not spend or budget significant funds for the conversion, nor will they sit for long on a vacant building when they could easily sell it.

To date they have heard from two parties interested in seeing the project through - the Nazareth Downtown Association (NDA) and the Insomniak Theatre. Both groups met with the Council's Economic Development Committee, but as independent groups, neither is 'responsible' for the project. The NDA meets on Monday and this project will be on the agenda (for disclosure purposes - I am a Board Member of NDA).

My personal hope is that a single group will be assigned, and if one can't be determined, then a task force will be created independent of any one existing group, and charged with presenting a plan complete with a business plan and milestone dates to Council at its next Workshop meeting. Council can then make a motion to support this group so long as they meet their milestones and if they fail Council can reconsider its support. I'd also like to see many organizations throughout the community submit letters of support for the project that can be delivered to Council at the time of the presentation. I like this approach because it provides the accountability that Council President Dan Chiavaroli was requesting at the last meeting.

Not many communities the size of Nazareth have such an active populace and enriching offerings. The Nazareth Community Band, Community Chorus, Concerts on the Green and at the Park, Movies at the Park, could all benefit from this project in addition to adding public theatre productions and movies. What we enjoy outdoors in the spring and summer could be brought indoors from November through March.

The opportunity with this project is tremendous, but someone or some entity will need to convert this great possibility into a reality - and soon.