"It's been more than a few years since a community group saved a vintage building from destruction and vowed to create a vibrant community center, the project has stalled. Thousands of dollars have been spent with little to show for it. Past and present board members acknowledge dysfunction in the group. But project leaders offer hope: There’s still community support, they say, and donations are still coming in."
This lament sounds familiar to us here in St. Augustine and the Beaches, but this is actually a paraphrase of a story from Columbia ,Missouri
We have criticized The St. John's County Cultural Council in the past (for the appearance of cronyism) but we applaud their efforts in the renovation of an old beach hotel into an Arts Center. It too seems to be bogged down and we do not know why. While we are an independent group of visual artists who have no intention of ever participating in any activities with this sort of thing, we wonder why the community of contractors and arts patrons (dance, theater, visual arts) do not get this project DONE! Help 'em out people! Forget about the outdoor ice rink at the amphitheater! This is Florida for God's sake! Think of the utility bill!. Instead, help this fledgling group become a Local Arts Agency.
Council........watch the appearance of impropriety. We think that what you do basically is a 'good thing'.........but we are not joiners and we do not go hat in hand to the cultural bigots in the business community.That's your job. Tell em you wanna build a fountain, .... a really big rococo fountain.....they love fountains (but not the repairs, you'll notice dead fountains in every city). Then "accidentally" spend it on a permanent museum or a world class literary festival such as Zora Neale Hurston Days.
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