Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Arts And Cultural Facilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Taos Center for the Arts seeks longer lease, outlines $400,000 county grant and facility needs
Summary
Taos Center for the Arts director Chelsea Reedy told the Town Council the nonprofit is asking to extend its expired lease, described use of a $400,000 Taos County ARP grant (split $250,000 remodeling / $150,000 internships) and flagged building repairs and staffing needs while expanding community programming.
Chelsea Reedy, executive director of the Taos Center for the Arts, asked the Town Council on April 21 to extend the nonprofit’s expired lease and begin a shared planning process to determine long-term ownership and operations of the Taos Community Auditorium.
Reedy told the council that TCA has increased staff from 10 to 15 in the past two years and expanded internship programming from about 12 to nearly 40 participants, and that the organization is approaching 600 active members. “I think we’re becoming more of a community center, as long as along with an art center,” Reedy said.
Why it matters: TCA operates the Taos Community Auditorium, a town-owned facility. Reedy said a recent Taos County ARP grant of $400,000 will be used to convert 132 Paseo (formerly Donabe) into a multi-use education and arts-enrichment hub: $250,000 for remodeling and $150,000 to fund internship wages through 2027 (possibly into 2028).
Council members and staff discussed how the building’s ownership affects capital planning and maintenance. Reedy said the last formal lease was signed in 2021 and is now expired; she asked the town to consider a three-year lease-extension while TCA and the town undertake joint visioning and planning. “The last time it was signed was in 2021, so it’s expired now,” she said.
TCA identified a set of facility priorities that it says will need major repairs or replacement in coming years: exterior doors, HVAC units, the stage floor and the back parking lot. Facilities staff supplied rough cost estimates during the meeting: replacing HVAC units was estimated at about $250,000, parking-lot resurfacing at roughly $178,456 (for 19,000 square feet of front and front-to-Paseo work), and door upgrades estimated near $50,000, with total larger-project estimates in the $100,000–$500,000 range.
Council members emphasized the theater’s role in local youth programming. Councilor Genevieve Fernandez pressed for more theatrical programming and asked whether a facilities investment should prioritize stage and theatrical uses. Reedy said TCA is prioritizing access for theater, dance and community productions and is working with partners — including Taos Children’s Theater, Paseo and Wildflower Playhouse — to boost live stage use and paid internship opportunities that plug into festivals and events.
Several councilors urged a formal meeting between TCA’s board and the town to clarify long-term ownership and responsibilities. Mayor Pro Tem and town staff agreed to schedule a workshop to begin that discussion and to have staff research the original grant agreements and any disposal clauses tied to the 1990s–2000s Community Development Block Grant funding that built the facility.
Ending: Reedy said TCA wants a clear path forward so the nonprofit can plan program growth and capital work. Council members tasked staff to coordinate a joint workshop with the TCA board and to review grant and deed records to identify legal or funding constraints on transferring or reassigning title.
