RTP-area local music and culture

["Caleb Southern" <southernc AT mindspring.com>]

Rick Sawyer wrote:
>on the one hand, you have city council bumbling through a poorly conceived
>and secretive two year long effort to build a behemoth stadium that none of
>the "city boosters" wanted; . . . but the fact remains that the city
>council came to its senses.

Actually, the Council voted at least 6-1 in favor of every step of the
theater -- including the original Clear Channel proposal. Pressure from the
community (including many from this list) helped get rid of Clear Channel,
and get rid of the ill-conceived "convertible" design for a flat-floor
coliseum for rock shows, with seats they could "roll in" to turn it into a
traditional "theater" for the American Dance Festival during the summer.

Now the facility will be a 2800-seat performing arts theater with fixed
seating (a proven design that works), with ADF in the summer and Nederlander
and PFM running Broadway shows for the rest of the year. A less stupid
project.

Council didn't "just come to its senses". They were always going to build
this thing. In terms of the above issues, they responded to pressure from
those of us who bothered to tell them they were making a huge mistake.


Rick Sawyer wrote:
>on the other hand, you have an extreme, offhanded and poorly conceived
>policy suggestion on the part of a single county commisioner that was
>dismissed immediately by the rest of the commission. 

This proposal didn't originate this week from one county commissioner. It is
part of a larger agenda that has been in the works for some time. Trust me
on this one; I know the people who are pushing this agenda.



Rick Sawyer wrote:
>besides, there's not much in the way of "downtown entertainment" for
>"Durham" to "kill" no matter how much it "wants" to do so.

Why do you think people aren't opening entertainment businesses in downtown
Durham? Why are tumbleweeds blowing down Main St in Durham -- when every
other town around here has some sort of life on its main street? That is my
point. It is no accident.



Rick Sawyer wrote:
>it sounds to me like the system works!  all hail the durham "'leadership.'"

I'm glad to hear you have such blind faith in the governance and intentions
of the leadership in Durham.

Sure the system works -- if you engage it.

Go to sleep for a few years. Then check back and see what has happened in
the absence of citizen involvement and oversight.