Eden Prairie News - Council accepts art center building donation - Comments

Let Them Eat Park. And it's

twoputttommy — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:29:55 -0500

Let Them Eat Park. And it's not funny at all.

Phil, Brad, and Jon put the "con" into conservativism. If they had the courage of what they claim is their convictions, this would have been turned down on a 3-2 vote.

But, hey - Brad's got an election coming up this fall, Phil is more than willing to split hairs when it comes down to defining things such as what "help" is, and Duckstad? Who knows why Duckstad does what he does?

All in all, this little escapade is simply another example of three endorsed Republicans acting in a consistently inconsistent manner.

What happened for fiscal

tginmn — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 23:38:45 -0500

What happened for fiscal responsibility by the city council. Funny how some earmarks are OK but when it comes to supporting programs for people they are expendable.

Here's some more background

Leah Shaffer — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:42:45 -0500

Here's some more background information:

* The 5,400-square-foot building at 7650 Equitable Drive originally was built 1995 as an art studio for retired businessman Roger Sampson: The Sampson family has donated the building to the city to be used as an art center.
* The start-up costs for an art center would be $326,000, which would pay for some space for parking, the addition of an accessible restroom, and other changes to bring the building up to code. Operations deficit for the first year is estimated to come in at $78,000. The next part of the planning process would include seeking grants and donations for the facility.
* The program would operate in a similar manner to the Outdoor Center, with hours of operation based on what classes have been scheduled for that week. The building could be used for any number of art specialties, such as glass blowing or metal sculpting to other uses such as readings or public meetings.
* The city is looking to get the facility up and running by January of 2009.

Mission statement: “The mission of the Eden Prairie Art Center is to enhance the quality of life and foster creativity in our community by providing access to the arts for people of all ages.”

Target Market includes: Eden Prairie residents, Eden Prairie businesses, people who work in Eden Prairie, but live elsewhere, surrounding west metro communities, target people with special interests in: metal sculpture, pottery, glass blowing and fusion, studio space
Source: Art Center Task Force Report

Council accepts art center building donation

Leah Shaffer — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:40:06 -0500

Facility could be open by January 2009