NWA Times Editorial: Thanks, mayor Coody leads the WAC charge

Plenty of people have been saying for months (in some cases, much longer than that) that Fayetteville can’t just sit on its pretty little hind end and do nothing about swirling rumors that the Walton Arts Center — ground zero for the performing arts in Northwest Arkansas — may choose to relocate much of its operation to a new facility elsewhere.

Benton County? Maybe. Somewhere more accessible than Dickson Street? Possibly.

If you happen to be the sort of person that goes by Deep Throat’s famous words of advice for Woodward and Bernstein (“Follow the money”) then suggestions that WAC leaders may opt for Benton County don’t come across as entirely misplaced.

To our way of thinking there has been too much talk and not enough work toward bringing about a successful campaign to keep the Walton Arts Center right here in Fayetteville, and preferably expanded right on Dickson Street. Fayetteville and the University of Arkansas took the lead back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s to make the center a reality. Sixteen years ago, that effort spurred the revitalization of Dickson Street and downtown Fayetteville just in time for more than a decade’s worth of economic boom times.

But those times seem long gone. Area taxpayers probably aren’t in a mood to vote for any big expenditures to expand the Walton Arts Center at its current site — even though its representatives say that’s exactly what the popular concert hall needs. Which is what worries us. If growth to house big Broadway shows and star acts is inevitable, something in Fayetteville will have to give. Room for the WAC (located at the intersection of West Avenue and Dickson Street) will have to be made. A parking deck will have to built. Several millions of dollars (much of it public dollars) will have to be spent. But so far we’ve seen too little movement to bring talk of moving — regardless of what any feasibility study may suggest — to an end.

Which explains our pleasure with Mayor Dan Coody’s continued attention to this matter. On Monday Fayetteville’s top elected leader invited Dennis Hunt with Stephens Inc. to a meeting of the Advertising and Promotion Commission. The purpose? To discuss restructuring the city’s Hotel and Restaurant Gross Receipt Tax Refunding Bonds to create enough capital improvement funds (perhaps several million dollars) to make some difference.

According to Hunt, a restructuring may be the only way Fayetteville could raise a decent amount of money without raising taxes. Restructuring the bonds in question would also require voter approval. Either way, there’s no way of knowing at this early date how much money will be required, although more is probably a safe bet.

First, thanks, mayor, for putting up a fight for Fayetteville. No, bringing in somebody to talk things over doesn’t begin to qualify as a solution to what’s becoming an increasingly complicated problem — but it’s something. The community can’t just sit waiting until the WAC’s leaders announce their plans. Coody has kept a fire burning in the search for options.

As much as we are enthusiastic about the development of Crystal Bridges, Alice Walton’s art museum in Bentonville, and proud of the commercial development Rogers has created en masse along Interstate 540, it’s also clear that Fayetteville has the cultural foundation that can best be exploited through development of an expanded Walton Arts Center and a larger cultural arts district. The spirit of art lives well in Fayetteville. It doesn’t have to be manufactured. That’s why the natural place for the Walton Arts Center was in the heart of Fayetteville back then, and today as well.

How is all this going to play out? We wish we knew the answer to that. But the way things happen in any community is through leadership, not just allowing the winds of change to blow. As the Walton Arts Center evaluates its future, we certainly hope the intangibles that are so crucial to the success of artistic endeavors earns as much appreciation and weight in a location decision as does the more tangible elements of where the money and current development is.

Hopefully, the mayor’s efforts will help.

Publication:Northwest Arkansas Times;     Date:May 17, 2008