The Arkansas Arts Center has decided to stay in Little Rock, Mayor Mark Stodola said Friday.
When asked to confirm the decision, Arkansas Arts Center Foundation Chairman Bobby Tucker said the organization is focused for now on reviewing potential sites in Little Rock to build a new center, or possibly renovating its facility, but he didn't completely rule North Little Rock out as an option for a move.
There had been speculation that the Arts Center would relocate to riverfront property in North Little Rock since February, when the foundation conducted a phone poll seeking input on support for a sales-tax increase to fund a new center.
"We are looking at those proposed sites [in Little Rock] and adding it to the information we already gathered," Tucker said. "We are looking at the suggested new sites and the possibility of fixing up the existing building. Right now, we are just looking at the Little Rock options. But, North Little Rock is not 100 percent out of the picture. We are trying to do the best thing for the Arkansas Arts Center. We're waiting to see."
Little Rock owns the Arts Center building in the MacArthur Park Historic District at 501 E. Ninth St., but the foundation owns the artwork.
Stodola presented a proposal to the foundation in April, a copy of which was given to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette last week, that included nine potential locations for a new center and two options for renovating the current space.
The Arts Center is about 110,000 square feet, and Arts Center officials have said 140,000 to 160,000 square feet are needed to expand exhibitions and add vault storage.
The proposed Little Rock sites are:
• Two city blocks bordered by Fourth Street to the north, Interstate 30 to the east, East Capitol Avenue to the south and River Market Avenue to the west, where a post office and its parking lot now are.
• An area along President Clinton Avenue to the south, where a circular parking lot is next to I-30. This location would require the removal of an interstate off-ramp and an extension to another building on the north side of the road.
• 100 Main St. at the corner of East Markham Street, where a potential site would share a courtyard with the Capital Hotel.
• 200 Main St., which at the corner of East Second Street is a block up from the previous proposed site and is next to a city parking deck.
• 200 Scott St., next to the Historic Arkansas Museum.
• At Scott and Fourth streets, which is south of the Historic Arkansas Museum and across from the Junior League of Little Rock, with two proposed design options.
• Riverfront Park to the east of the Main Street Bridge off La Harpe Boulevard.
• Another riverfront section to the east of the Doubletree Hotel near the Broadway Bridge and to the west of the Old State House Museum off West Markham Street.
• Riverfront property near Heifer Village in the River Market District.
Stodola said he could make a strong argument for all of the locations.
"Though when you put the issues of reality into this thing from a financial standpoint, the expansion of the existing facility certainly makes a lot of sense. There's a lot that can be done," he said, mentioning reoriented drives, an entrance change and demolishing, then rebuilding, substantial parts of the building.
The mayor said Tucker has told him twice that the Arts Center plans to stay in Little Rock. When asked about deciding between Little Rock and North Little Rock, Tucker said the foundation is still waiting on the financial portion of Little Rock's proposal.
Previously, the foundation said it wanted $100 million of public funds through tax increases to pay for the construction of a building. But Stodola said he thinks the Little Rock electorate would be more open to sponsoring a new Arts Center if some private contributions were part of the deal.
The foundation has paid for two phone polls of North Little Rock voters and a phone poll of Little Rock voters. The results have not been made public.
Stodola, who has seen the results, said they were more positive for Little Rock.
"I think the public certainly finds tremendous value culturally in the Arts Center, but in my opinion -- based on having run other elections -- I think the ability to be successful would be very challenging if what we are asking the public to do is fund $100 million. Based on the polling we did, I think it would be very difficult at least at this juncture in the time the poll was done. I think that's a tall order," Stodola said.
In the Little Rock poll, the options included adding a one-fourth percent sales tax or adding to the hotel portion of the Advertising and Promotion tax, often called the "hamburger tax," levied on restaurants and hotels. Under the latter scenario, the increase would affect only hotels, not restaurants.
Tucker said the foundation has no timeline on when to make a decision on where to relocate or whether to expand its current complex, but he said he thinks it will be within the next six months.
Even if Little Rock voters did approve a tax increase to fund a new Arts Center building, there's nothing in place right now that prevents the foundation from taking the artwork somewhere else in the future if it decides to do so.
Stodola said he will continue to work with the foundation toward the best option.
"I don't think citizens of Little Rock are going to contribute to this if in fact some time in the future it's going to be taken out of the city," Stodola said.
"I'm committed to doing what I can as mayor to make sure the building and this wonderful collection that has been created has a proper place to be shown."
SundayMonday on 07/26/2015