Survey on arts center stirs debate

Mathis Winkler

NEWPORT BEACH -- A center for the arts and a city park. Taken

separately, either would probably get support from residents.

But when the two clash, as with a proposed arts and education center

on open space behind the city’s central public library, tempers fly.

It happened again Monday morning at a meeting of the city’s ad hoc

committee for an arts and education center. Members of the group, which

includes representatives from the City Council, the library board of

trustees, as well as the city’s parks, beaches and recreation and arts

commissions, discussed an arts commissioners’ request that the council

accept money for a poll of residents’ views on the proposed center.

The council will discuss the request at its meeting tonight.

The funding for the survey would come from an undisclosed donor, who

has also pledged a minimum of $1 million to build the arts center if it

is approved. But in addition to the request, commissioners have asked

that council members wait on a final decision on the site’s future until

the study’s been completed.

“It’s obviously not fair for the private people who give money” to

have council members reject the arts center before the poll’s results are

known, said Don Gregory, a member of the arts commission and the ad hoc

committee.

Gregory added that the proposed center would use less than a third of

the land.

“The park would be nine acres,” he said. “We just need 3.5 [acres]. My

God, who is being greedy here?”

Others, such as community activist Allan Beek, said the commission’s

request nourished their suspicion that supporters of the project are

trying to put together a poll showing that a most residents favor the

idea.

“I have a feeling that it’s just to sell the idea of turning [the

site] into an arts center,” said Beek, who attended Monday’s meeting.

“I know that [project supporters] want it on that site,” he said.

“It’s their dream. I don’t want to destroy people’s dreams, but open

space doesn’t mean that we haven’t decided what to do with [the land]

yet. It means we’ve decided to keep it open space.”

While not opposed to a survey in general, Beek added that residents

should also be polled about possible other sites for an arts center, such

as Corona del Mar High School or the defunct Port Theater in Corona del

Mar.

But Gregory said the proposal for a center itself wasn’t

controversial. Whether residents would favor a center on open space is

what city officials must figure out, he said.

“We’re willing to pay to find out the answer,” he said. “If the answer

is no, then it’s no.”

Councilman Steve Bromberg, who chairs the ad hoc committee, said he

liked the idea of conducting a survey.

“Right now, all we’ve heard from are a few homeowners associations and

people that show up at meetings,” he said, noting that Newport Beach has

more than 70,000 residents. “I’d be interested in knowing what [other

people’s] thoughts are.”

Along with the city’s parks, beaches and recreation commissioners,

members of the environmentalist group Stop Polluting Our Newport have

emerged as opponents of the center and have presented a proposal for a

“central park” on the site.

Bromberg said he’d like to ensure that all interested parties feel

comfortable with the way an opinion poll would be conducted. Settling on

parameters for the survey might also delay a decision by council members.

Maybe it’s “beneficial to all parties to continue this for two to four

weeks,” Bromberg said. “There’s so much at stake.”

But he added that he’d like to bring the ad hoc committee to an end as

soon as possible and settle the question of establishing a park, a park

and an arts center or just an arts center on the site once and for all.

“We want to bring this thing to a head within six months,” he said.

FYI

Newport Beach City Council members will meet at 7 tonight at City

Hall, 3300 Newport Blvd.