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Erie advances PROS "playbook" and launches performing-arts feasibility study
Summary
Town staff and consultants presented a midproject update on Erie’s PROST strategic plan (the “playbook”) and a parallel performing-arts feasibility study, reporting roughly 300 survey responses so far and preliminary findings that a community-scale performing-arts venue (about 600–700 seats, ≈36,000 sq ft) could be viable; the study will continue through needs assessment, programming and site analysis into late summer/early fall.
Luke Bollinger, Erie’s director of parks and recreation, and consultants from DTJ Design and Webb Management presented a midproject update on April 15, 2025 on the town’s Parks, Recreation, Open Space and Trails strategic plan (referred to as a “playbook”) and a related performing-arts feasibility study.
Bollinger told council the project is roughly halfway through the needs-assessment phase and that the team aims to turn outreach and analysis into a draft plan that will come back to council and the Planning Commission. “We adopted the playbook,” Bollinger said, framing the document as a practical, five- to 10-year guiding policy that staff and residents can use to set priorities.
Consultant Michelle Regan of DTJ Design described the engagement program and early results. The online questionnaire (31 questions) has been open since mid-February and has generated about 300 responses so far, Regan said. Early themes from stakeholder interviews and focus groups include trail connectivity and wayfinding, teen-centered recreational opportunities, preservation of open space, maintenance of existing facilities and demand for cultural and arts spaces.
The performing-arts feasibility element, led by Webb Management, moves beyond policy into market, programming and initial site review. Keith Walzak of DTJ and other consultants said initial market work and stakeholder interviews indicate demand for a smaller, community-oriented facility rather than a major regional venue. Staff reported the consultant team is preliminarily “recommending between a 600 and 700-seat” facility with ancillary spaces, an estimated building footprint near 36,000 square feet and further programming and capital-cost analysis to follow. The team plans a site tour of comparable facilities and expects a fuller feasibility report in late summer or early fall.
Council members pressed on practical matters — sizing, operations and subsidy levels. Consultants noted most comparable community performing-arts centers are subsidized to some degree by municipalities or nonprofit partners and that a mixed program of flexible performance space and smaller rehearsal/classroom areas typically serves community nonprofits and school programs.
Next steps include company-led analysis of programming, operations, capital-cost estimates and an economic-impact review. Staff also flagged several public outreach events occurring in the coming weeks — an open house, an Arbor Day pop-up and the town fair — and encouraged additional questionnaire participation before the team closes and finalizes the engagement summary.
The presentation concluded without any formal council vote; staff said they will return with draft plan materials, the performing-arts feasibility report and opportunities for public review and council direction.
