HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) - A group of Hilton Head Island business people are proposing a $55 million performing arts center to draw big name performers to the resort island.
The Island Packet of Hilton Head reports (https://bit.ly/1sKA3Qz ) that Community Vision of Hilton Head proposes an amphitheater that would seat 1,500 people indoors and as many as 5,000 outside on the lawn at a 60-acre complex.
They say the complex could attract top name acts like James Taylor and Yo-Yo Ma while providing a home for local performing arts groups.
A study commissioned for the group says the complex would eventually mean more money for the local economy than the Heritage golf tournament.
Organizers think the center would attract 210,000 attendees the first year and 250,000 by its third year. They hope half the cost could be paid with tax dollars and would need ongoing government support.
“We have a chance to do major things here, but it’s not going to fly without a strong public-private collaboration,” said Community Vision president Walter Graver.
The group says the theater would be larger than the existing Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, built 18 years ago and largely subsidized by the town. They say big name acts won’t perform at the smaller arts center.
“I’ve seen what can happen to a small town with a big arts vision,” group member Dan Castro said. “We’re there, we have the arts. We just don’t have the major performing arts center.”
Castro said that the proposed center would mean a year-round schedule of acts.
Organizers envision the center having 4,500 parking spaces, 500 of them paved. They would like the complex to also have a botanical garden and room for expansion.
They have identified three possible locations where the complex could be built.
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Information from: The Island Packet, https://www.islandpacket.com
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