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Local arts advocates say council reneged on promise for performing arts center at old police station
Summary
An MCT board member told the council at public comment that the city reneged on a promise to build a performing arts center at the former police station and urged renewed support for arts organizations.
At the Feb. 18 call to the public, Andrew Coutts, identifying himself with the Maricopa Community Theatre (MCT) board, told the City Council he believes the council reneged on a promise to build a performing arts center at the old police station.
Coutts told the council he and fellow MCT board members had been taken aside by a community enrichment department staffer and that, after a recent staff decision, ‘‘the council had reneged on its promise to build a performing arts center at the old police station.’’ He called for the council to show ‘‘tangible evidence’’ of its stated support for the arts and pledged to continue to advocate for a city venue.
The council did not take action on the matter during the meeting. No staff presentation or formal agenda item on the performing arts center appeared on the Feb. 18 agenda; Coutts’ remarks were made during the public comment period and were followed by the council moving on to the consent agenda.
Coutts urged continued advocacy and said he would ‘‘keep coming here to remind you of our presence and the potential for further support from the council,’’ closing his comments by thanking council members for their prior statements of support.
No council member made a substantive response to his remarks during the public comment period reported in the transcript.
