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  • From: Jeff York <jyork AT townofchapelhill.org>
  • To: "chpac-staff AT lists.ibiblio.org" <chpac-staff AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Chpac-staff] FW: Art, tourism suggested for old museum - Orange County - NewsObserver.com
  • Date: Wed, 8 Dec 2010 09:29:22 -0500

CHPAC members, here is an article in today's paper about the meeting last
night sent by Jerry. We will discuss the meeting and suggestions. Below is
a blog posting from Laurie Paolicelli about the meeting. Also attached are
the Nov. minutes your information.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/12/08/850092/art-tourism-suggested-for-old.html


Public Input on 523 E. Franklin Street Building could shape future use of
building

On Tuesday night approximately 75 people filled the the former Chapel Hill
Museum building to help answer the question posed by the town of Chapel Hill
as to what the public would like to see in the facility, which is now
referred to as 523 E. Franklin. The public input meeting was designed by the
town's parks and recreation department and public arts department with the
goal of getting ideas from the community on possible future uses of the
building. Spearheading the public discussion was Chapel Hill Parks and
Recreation Department, Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau and the
Public Arts Commission. Georgann Eubanks, local author and conference
facilitator, moderated the discussion and facilitated an idea exchange that
lasted 90 -minutes. Attending the event were local and regional visual
artists, historians, preservationists, members of the tourism and hospitality
community, UNC staff and students and town Council Members Penny Rich, Jim
Ward and Sally Greene. Carrboro Arts Center Director, Ed Camp came out, he
said, "to gauge the sentiments on performing arts centers and clarify what it
takes to open and operate an arts facility." Visitors Bureau Director,
Laurie Paolicelli, welcomed the crowd and reminded of the need to continue to
tell Chapel Hill's story, which is also a story of the south.

Eubanks asked attendees what they felt was missing from the community and
what gaps this facility could help meet. Ideas ranged from turning the
museum into a combined visitors center and heritage museum to providing open
studio space for artists and working with federal agencies on building a
civil rights museum. Many wanted to see the facility used for contemporary
arts exhibits, including rotating shows and indoor and outdoor art. Some
participants want the facility to help meet the needs of students: both high
school and college students who need an arts studio to take their craft to
the next level. History was top of mind for many, with citizens reminding
the audience that Chapel Hill held a prominent place in history and that this
facility should re-commit to telling the story of the town, its people and
unique characteristics. One audience member thought that participants were
not thinking big enough. He cited the idea of a smaller scale center like,
Tamarack, in Beckley, West Virginia as a model for what the building could
become. Tamarack is the nation's first statewide collection of hand-made
crafts, arts and cuisine with 59,000 square feet of juried crafts, working
art studios for resident artisans, a 178-seat theater, fine art gallery and A
Taste of West Virginia food court all under one roof, with an additional
22,500 square feet of meeting or special occasion space.
The website for Tamarack describes the funding model as "an economic
development project for the West Virginia Parkways Authority. Tamarack is
mandated to be self-sufficient. No tax dollars or toll revenues were used in
the construction or are currently used for the operation of Tamarack."

In addition to the wish-list, there was also pragmatic views expressed by
many of the participants, asking town leaders how much of a budget was in
place for renovations, budget, facility management and marketing. Although
no immediate answers were available, it was agreed that facility
improvements, full time staff and marketing could inch close to the one
million dollar mark. "Hiring a full time facility manager to execute some of
these ideas would create a new $100,000 line item for the town's budget,"
reminded one participant.

The parks and recreation team will next work with Eubanks to provide the town
manager and town council with a summary of community input so that the town's
leadership can determine the next course of action.


Chapel Hill architect Don Stewart originally designed the building at 523 E.
Franklin St. to house the Chapel Hill Public Library, which occupied it from
1966-1994. A 2007 easement agreement between the Town of Chapel Hill and
Preservation North Carolina ensures that the building will not be demolished
or the exterior altered so as to diminish its architectural significance.
Between 1996 and 2010, the building housed various community organizations.
In 2010 the Town of Chapel Hill resumed responsibility for the programming,
management, and maintenance of the building. The Chapel Hill Historical
Society will continue to occupy space on the lower level. The space, which
the Historical Society renovated at its own expense, is an office/library
available for research by appointment.

The building's main floor is approximately 7,000 sq. ft. and the lower floor
is 6,500 sq. ft.
Maximum Capacity is 150 persons and the facility has 33 on-site sparking
paces available including 1 designated handicapped parking space; and 50
off-site spaces at Horace Williams House ½ block away available by advanced
permission.






Attachment: 10-11_Mtg_Summary.doc
Description: 10-11_Mtg_Summary.doc



  • [Chpac-staff] FW: Art, tourism suggested for old museum - Orange County - NewsObserver.com, Jeff York, 12/08/2010

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