While there may be near universal agreement that the old Eureka Springs High School should become our community center, I, and several folks who approached me after my comments at a recent meeting, have issues with the current plan that are preventing our enthusiastic endorsement and support for the prevailing proposal.
The Highlander Community Center Foundation directors have volunteered much time and energy to develop their plan. Their efforts are appreciated and several members are my friends. But it is “their plan,” and not one in which the community has had much input. While there have been a couple of community meetings, they were more presentations of the foundation’s and architect’s visions rather than real interactive discussions of ideas that best serve the community.
Under their plan, one of the two surviving buildings is to be made over into Class A office space, to be leased to fund Community Center operating costs. Rented office space, retail, the restaurant under discussion, and convention centers do not serve residents’ needs. Rather than benefiting the community they will compete with private properties. How many offices and commercial buildings in town will sit empty once businesses move to the Highlander Office Park? Does this really, as touted, benefit economic development, or just shift rental income from the private sector to the Foundation?
It is argued the office park is necessary to fund operating costs, but there are other funding sources. If we instead develop a community-centric center for creative, recreational and economic opportunity, all kinds of grants and endowments, both governmental and philanthropic, will open up to us. There’s plentiful money out there in the world, and with truly innovative programs for community development and good grant writers and publicists, we could certainly attract a good amount of real-world money. And if it’s seen to truly benefit the community, voters might even redirect some tax money for operations.
The B-200 building can be so much more for the community than an office/retail park, and without spending so much on renovations. Some ideas that might be considered are:
• a community commercial kitchen in the old cafeteria, where entrepreneurs can rent kitchen time to incubate small, food-related businesses like catering, bakeries, food processing and canning, cooking classes, community dinners, chef training, etc. (the current plan includes a small commercial kitchen for events, which is inadequate for any of these other purposes);
• a daycare center business; operated by local parents;
• a senior center and/or multi-generational gathering space;
• a community garden;
• a tech center/hi-speed office hub where residents can incubate and build tech, e-commerce and digital film production businesses from low-rent desk spaces/cubicles;
• a recording and video studio;
• artist studios, art classrooms, a pottery studio and gallery space;
• classrooms for adult education, vocational training, lectures, and remote college courses;
• a retail outlet for local products.
Several of these ideas were included in the original conceptual plan, but canned or downsized with the decision to raze the classroom building. And several would generate revenue, albeit maybe not as much as “Class A” office space.
Eureka Springs is a creative community of independent thinkers, many of whom struggle to survive in our seasonal, single-industry, tourism-based economy. Our community center should reflect and support who we are. There are many incredible possibilities for creative and economic development on the site that have not been considered. We, as a community, should be exploring the possibilities, because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and we need to get it right.
One concern I’m hearing is that the aquatic center, AKA swimming pool, is Phase 4, the final phase of the plan. A pool, which offers huge recreational and health benefits for all ages, has long been at the top of the wish lists of many locals, and seeing it far down the priority list and so vaguely planned has some wondering if it will ever become a reality.
Maybe, instead of wasting money on new façades, a pool could be built sooner. Why new facades? The mid-century buildings are appealing pieces of the era’s architecture and a part of the Eureka Springs look many of us fell in love with. Why make them look like office buildings in Anywhere, USA?
As with most things Eureka, the plan seems more focused on business interests than residents’, and not just the office park. That our recreational, educational, community building is also being touted as “21,000 sq. ft. of additional meeting/banquet and convention space” certainly gives pause as to the primary objective. So we’ll only have a community center on days when it can’t be rented for profit? That the board is comprised primarily of “business leaders” adds to people’s suspicions.
The old high school was built and paid for with tax revenue provided by the district’s property owners. It belongs to the people and should remain in the public domain. The current deal turns the property over to the non-profit and out of public ownership. If the non-profit fails, we lose the property, and it becomes commercial property. Why not instead turn the property over to the city, to be operated by the Parks Commission or a new Community Center Commission, and let the non-profit be a fundraising organization for it? Or have the school district retain ownership to ensure it remains our public property no matter what becomes of the Foundation.
As for turning it over to the city, I believe a super majority of residents would agree it should be given at no cost – we paid for it and it’s already ours. At least, the school board should put the proposal of giving us our property for a community center on the school election ballot in September.
I have long felt strongly the old high school must become our community center. This critique and suggestions are not intended to kill the project or make it controversial, but rather to promote an inclusive conversation about all the possibilities for creating a uniquely Eureka facility that will foster creative, economic, recreational, and community development for the entire community. When that happens, the needed community support will be there, and I’ll be out enthusiastically beating the bushes to find funding.
In the coming days I’d like to get interested residents, members of the school board and foundation together for an all-inclusive discussion of ideas that the people would like to see included in planning our community center. Stay tuned.
Bill King