Hi Folks,

Scott Middleton's announcements at the Forum Club have certainly set the pot to boiling.  We have received some really creative suggestions for amenity ideas.  We've also seen a lot of advocacy, both on the part of individuals and organizations.  Since emotions are beginning to rise, particularly in the area of the "performing arts venue", it is probably appropriate to share some information to help the whole community understand the issues.

 

The amenity plan that Pulte had in place approximately two years ago was very different from what we are looking at today.  It called for a 4,000 square foot expansion of Pinckney Hall devoted entirely to improving the stage and backstage facilities used for community performances.  Magnolia Hall (then called the "Activity Building") was slated to be 14,000 square feet and would contain a relocated and expanded billiard room, relocated Wall Street room, card rooms, meeting rooms, offices, a small lecture hall, and a coffee shop.  Magnolia Hall was to be built after the expansion of Pinckney Hall.

 

There were two fatal flaws with this plan:  (1) The plan did not address deficiencies in audience line of sight during performances and (2) It would be terribly disruptive to operations at Pinckney Hall during construction and there would be no place to relocate meetings and activities while it was going on.  About two years ago, a group of residents convened informally at Al Reuben's home, to consider alternatives that we might propose to Pulte.  It included Al Reuben, Steve Koehl and myself, the Resident Board Members at that time, as well as Karen Pacifico and a number of residents concerned with the performing arts.

 

This group came up with a proposal for an alternative approach:  (1)  Take the entire 4,000 square foot stage and backstage expansion to Pinckney Hall and add it to Magnolia Hall, which would increase its size to 18,000 square feet, and (2)  Devise a means, via sloped retractable seating, to improve audience line of sight during performances.  The retractable seating approach was viewed as necessary to enable multi-purpose use of Magnolia Hall.  We made a conscious decision to make this proposal to Pulte as a multi-purpose building with a greatly improved performing arts "venue".  The proposal was never to build a "theater" or a "performing arts center".  We made the pitch to Pulte and Ken Hull agreed to relocate the 4,000 square feet when it was time to design Magnolia Hall.

 

Last year, with Ken's approval, we assembled a task force, under Don Avedon's leadership, to work out a detailed proposal for Magnolia Hall.  About half of the team was made up of residents involved in the various performing arts and half were residents with various technical skills.  Things had changed since the meeting at Al's house.  The Hidden Cypress Clubhouse and Recreation Center had been built and card rooms and conference rooms had been provided there.  However, the need to relocate facilities from Pinckney Hall to enable significant expansion of office space there remained.

 

The task force worked diligently for months.  They traveled to other communities to gather input and they considered a variety of approaches to meeting the objective of improving the performing arts venue while still meeting the need for growth in other facilities for the community.

 

In July of last year, the task force reported its recommendation to the resident board members and Ken Hull.  The highlights of the recommendation are as follows:  (1)  In order to accommodate a modest growth in seating space for performances, the building had to grow to 20,000 square feet versus the 18,000 specified, (2)  Retractable seating would not work in this application; access would be too difficult for our residents, because of the combination of steps and handrail restrictions, and it would dictate a three story building to accommodate the seats when retracted, (3)  Approximately two thirds of the seating for performances would be permanent in nature and located on a sloping floor, restricting its multi-purpose use to meetings of large groups.  The other one third would be movable chairs on a flat floor, (4)  The building could be divided into six meeting spaces, a large room on the sloping floor, two medium sized rooms on the flat floor. and three small rooms backstage.

 

The task force recommendation included significant detail regarding the stage, backstage facilities, audio visual capabilities, storage facilities, floor surfaces and parking requirements.  The recommendation included an analysis of potential utilization for Magnolia Hall that indicated that just over two thirds of the use of the building would be by groups other than those associated with the performing arts.

 

As complete and well thought out as the recommendation was, it had a number of drawbacks:  (1) It was 2,000 square feet larger than defined, (2)  It did not accommodate the required relocation of facilities from Pinckney Hall, and (3)  The cost to construct fixed seating on a sloped floor was perceived to be dramatically higher than a flat floor venue.  The task force recommended that a study be initiated to expand Pinckney Hall to accommodate the space shortfall.  This, of course, would also have significant cost implications.  Ken Hull was strongly opposed to any sloped floor space.  Several mini-studies were subsequently carried out but no alternative approaches to the task force recommendation were identified.

 

One of Ken Hull's last acts before retiring was to reject the recommendation of the task force.  He did not discuss that decision with the Resident Board Members.  Instead, he announced it at a meeting of the Neighborhood Representatives so Karen, Al and I are not privy to his final thinking.  Don Avedon subsequently met with Ken and determined that he had decided to go back to the original concept for Magnolia Hall described in the second paragraph above.  None of us know what he was going to do about the stage and backstage plan.

 

Early in January, Karen, Al and I met with Scott Middleton for the first time.  There were only two items on the agenda: (1)  How the four of us would work collaboratively for the benefit of the community and (2) the need to get the task force recommendation for Magnolia Hall back on the table. Scott agreed to honor your Resident Board Members' request to reopen the issue and he subsequently allowed the task force to come in and, again, make their entire presentation.  The task force proposal for Magnolia Hall is now on the "wants" list along with the many, many other things that the community wants and needs.  As currently recommended, it is the largest and most expensive building that must fit within our amenity budget.

 

Scott's announcement at the Forum Club took away one drawback to the task force recommendation.  With the Sales Center, we now have alternatives for dealing with the space shortfall.  The cost challenges remain.  Pulte is bringing in experts to begin to put costs around  all of the building proposals, including the Argent Lakes Golf and Recreation Center, the Yemassee Craft Center expansion and Magnolia Hall.  We'll also be working up the costs to renovate the Sales Center, reallocate space in Pinckney Hall and build a wide variety of sports and other facilities as well.

 

It is important for everyone to understand that the effort to improve the performing arts venue, both for the performers and for the audience, has had no better advocates than Karen, Al and myself.  A lot of folks have helped, but the three of us have kept it on the table for two years and without those efforts, it would be a dead duck as it was a matter of weeks ago when we performed CPR, at our meeting with Scott, to keep it alive.

 

We haven't needed petitions to stay committed in the past, and we don't need them, or "thunderous applause" now.  If there is a way to fit this proposal within the budget, along with all of the other competing needs, we'll do it.  But unlike some individuals and groups within the community, we don't have the luxury of becoming advocates for individual projects.  We have to look after the needs of the entire community, including those residents who are not even here yet.  It's time to remember that we're on your side, but we have complex issues to consider.  So please, let us do our work to ensure we meet Sun City's needs, both now and in the future.

 

Jerry