Cultural Arts Center ‘a long way’ away

Stacy Brown

NEWPORT BEACH -- Picture a $12 million cultural arts center, complete

with a 400-seat auditorium, several classrooms and a garden area.

It’s an idea the Newport Beach Public Library Board of Directors tried to

picture Wednesday night when they discussed the feasibility of such a

project and whether they should recommend that the City Council consider

building the center to enhance the lavish Newport Beach Central Library.

“This is the beginning of what should be a great addition to the

library,” said James Wood, president of the library’s board of directors.

But it’s no sure thing.

“We are a long way from voting on the center, but we have an ad-hoc

committee that is putting together the concept now,” said Library Board

Trustee Robert Knox.

If approved by the city, the $12 million project -- according to Knox’s

estimate -- would come just five years after construction was completed

on the Central Library, which cost $8.2 million. It would be located

behind the library between Avocado and MacArthur and have three

classrooms, a meeting room, a conference room and an auditorium for 400.

Plans to create the center were not met with complete enthusiasm.

The library’s foundation -- which is in the middle of a $2.5 million

fund-raising campaign -- hasn’t taken a position on the matter, but

foundation member Lucille Kuehn, a veteran library activist, questioned

whether such a proposal falls within the power of the library’s board of

directors.

“There is nothing [in the board’s charter] that says they have the right

to establish a Cultural Arts Center,” Kuehn said. “Their function is to

take care of the library -- period.”

Knox disagrees, saying the members are merely carrying out their sworn

duties.

“All we have is an ad-hoc committee putting a concept together,” Knox

said. “We would be the managers of the center, which is a long way from

happening. So we are discussing it.”

Knox said approval process for such a project would be long and detailed.

The board would first have to approve the concept and make a formal

recommendation to the City Council. Then the council would schedule the

matter for public hearings and conduct feasibility studies before taking

a vote.