Beck Center Stays... More at 10

[Jim O'Bryan]

Beck Center will remain in Lakewood.

Media conference at 10:00am

Yesterday at lunch a little bird mentioned I would be very happy at a news conference that had been scheduled at the Beck Center. I asked was it about "them giving the property back to the city?" They said no, even better.

I asked how long would they stay, the answer was, "I do not believe that was discussed." I then asked so they are staying and with a smile I was told who would be at the meeting, and the list let me know it was going to be good news.

When the Observer broke the news about the Beck Center leaving nearly four months before anyone else had it in their scope, I was both happy and sad. the Beck Center/Lakewood Little Theater was part of my blood. It was a block from where I grew up and my mother had worked at Lakewood Little Theater for years as a volunteer. So I was sad to see them go. But the offers we had heard from an outside/inside source seemed like something that Lakewood could never match.

Over the 6 months that followed Fred Unger, and other board members expressed interest that they wanted to stay in Lakewood but had to look at all opportunities, including the move to Crocker Park. As late as a month ago I had read in a new Westside magazine that the Beck Center was looking forward to their move to Crocker Park.

Meanwhile two groups of Lakewoodites had started to look at starting a replacement group, that would bring local theater back to the wood.

It will be interesting to see what is announced at the conference, the term, the what, the how and HOW LONG. A month back the city approved a $20,000 study to look at ways to use the Beck Center property. So I would doubt that this announcement has anything to do with that study.

The Lakewood Observer has been talking with Yvette Hanzel and Fran Storch of the Beck Marketing Department through all of this at ways we can help the Beck get their word out and raise income and money without turning to the city. (My only reservation through all of this was The Beck Center using Lakewood's limited funds to stay alive while the Crocker Park building could be built) This has seen the Beck Center sign on the the Observation Deck, start posting and appearing back in the Lakewood Observer hard copy.

If this news is a good as my little bird indicates I would hope Lakewoodites would get behind the Beck center and show all the support possible. It is truly a great institution, that seemed to suffer nothing more than poor management.

more after 10:00am...

[Lynn Farris]

Jim

Any updates on the press conference?

[Phil Florian]

I got to go today and it was very interesting. I will let Jim get in the first word on the specifics but I have a LOT of questions for him and any others that know about this process. Let's go Jim!

[Chris Trapp]

Phil,
Spill the beans please.
I'm sure Jim will get plenty of words in.
Thanks!

[Jim O'Bryan]

Chris

To make you happy.and as a newly wed I am sure you have better things to do than read my take on the announcement.

It was a great Kumbahyah moment.

Beck will stay, for now.

Mayor Tom George and Council President Bob Seelie with the help of The Lakewood School Board, and Superintendent Dr. Dave Estrop did an almost magical job in getting this done so quickly.

High points were the agreement between the Beck Center and Lakewood Schools that will see an Arts Academy formed to serve the needs of students from Westlake, Bay Village, Rocky River and Lakewood.

There was mention of an Arts District in the area which would be like hitting the lottery for me, as housing prices sky rocket in Arts Districts. Look at the prices, a $57,000 home is now worth $500,000.

Dr. Dave Estrop promised the agreement would not costs the schools 1 penny, and that it might be a revenue stream. This was great news.

Mayor Tom George mentioned that he would HELP the Beck Center find money. I take this as Lakewood would not be writing the Beck any checks.

But Fred Unger did mention that they see the land the city gave them as an assets that could be sold.

But as with anything the devil is in the details.

I do applaud City Hall and the Schools for reaching out in an effort to keep the Beck here. There is no doubt it is a true gem, and is a destination while providing excellent schooling and programs.

I did hear some mention the doughnuts were very tasty. In an effort to remain impartial I did not even try the coffee or doughnuts. These are the sacrifices I make to the Observers.

Thanks to all.


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[Kenneth Warren]

I attended the meeting this morning. Here’s a brief capture based on my recollection of what was said:

Decision Drivers for Beck Center to stay in Lakewood:

A planning alignment with Lakewood City Schools to develop an Arts and Communications Program within the West Shore Academy.

A planning alignment with the City of Lakewood to develop the concept of an arts district with the Beck Center an anchor.

A relationship with Cox Communications to develop a media/production platform in the facility.

A partnership commitment to pursue grants, county, state and federal revenue for the Beck Center.

Shared use of facilities with Lakewood City Schools.

Proportion of Beck Center donors and patrons from Lakewood and points east versus the proportion from the West.

Duration of Planning and Budgeting Cycle

Mr. Unger indicated that he expected this process of planning and fundraising to last for five years.

He mentioned that the City of Westlake had not offered any cash to the Beck Center.

The written press release indicated that Beck Center satellites in West Shore suburbs are also possible.

I would surmise from Mr. Unger’s presentation that Lakewood’s alignment of institutions and the determination of the Schools and City to pursue with the Beck Center a collaborative approach to planning in educational program, site development and access to facility were compelling.

The alignment and the planning will need to attract the capital and cash flows required to advance the vision and manage the delivery of the program.

It will be interesting to see is how Foundations respond to this form of institutional capital and asset alignment – clearly a positive element of Lakewood’s inner ring legacy.

The West Shore/Lakewood City Schools provides a regional hook Foundations could find compelling.

This bold, new, innovative and collaborative approach to arts, education and economic development is good news for Lakewood.

I appreciate the vision and hope all the necessary expertise and resources are obtained to craft an excellent plan and to deliver an outstanding arts and education program.

Kenneth Warren

[Jim O'Bryan]

...A partnership commitment to pursue grants, county, state and federal revenue for the Beck Center.
Kenneth Warren

Ken

Everyone I have spoken with since made mention that this is truly the key. that it will be much easier for the Beck Center to raise grant money by partnering with the schools and city.

I was comforted by the fact that the only real money that was talked about was grant money and donations.

I agree that every effort should be made to help this work. It will be a huge feather in Lakewood's hat if we can pull this very unique effort off. The West Shore Academy that I believe was started in 1969 has had a huge impact on teaching students key skills in careers that have served them through college and off to the real world.

Cox cable is very excited about the possibility, and is happy they are staying. At one point a Cox representative told me they would pull the project. "We are dedicated to Lakewood, not Westlake."

It will be interesting to hear what Phil thought.


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[Jeff Endress]

Am I reading too much into this if I surmise that the West Shore Academy will be expanding to include a "School of the Arts"? (Cue the Music.....FAME, I want to live forever...) As it is, Lakewood schools receive monies from districts that send their children to us to educate....sort of a municipal charter school.....How cool would it be to have an Arts Academy, maybe in some association with CIM or CIA, which actuallt draws students out of other suburbs. But instead of the Vo Ed kids, or those who need special Ed, we'd be pulling out the musiciams, artists and writiers....

Jeff

[Jim O'Bryan]

How cool would it be to have an Arts Academy, maybe in some association with CIM or CIA, which actuallt draws students out of other suburbs. But instead of the Vo Ed kids, or those who need special Ed, we'd be pulling out the musiciams, artists and writiers....

Jeff

Jeff

This is great news and it really sets Lakewood apart from every other school in the state. I know that it is actually more than an Arts Academy. Cox Communications has dedicated video equipment much like they have with Lakewood High. This would allow the Academy to teach more than the arts. It would allow them to teach the business and production side of the Arts and media.

This is a true brand builder, and hearing Fred Unger mention they chose Lakewood over Westlake sounded great.

One thing I know, is that no one wanted to move. Fred Unger, John Farina, the marketing department etc. never had one bad word to say about Lakewood, and has always considered Lakewood as their home.

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[c. dawson]

You're right about the importance of partnerships ... I work in the fundraising world, and believe me, a collaborative partnership that applies for grants and funding moves to the head of the line, compared to an individual organization that isn't collaborating with anyone. If Beck can partner with other West Shore schools, that will greatly increase its odds of funding. Educational projects that impact a great number of school children also tend to get funded more than projects that don't.

So it's a plan that could work. Of course, the key question is, does the Beck stay in its current site? Sell off the current site to a developer and move to one of the soon-to-close schools nearby and renovate that? There's all sorts of possibilities.

Though since I live right behind the Beck Center, it'd be great if this neighborhood became an Arts District!

[Jeff Endress]

And talk about the possibilities.....in addition to hanging baskets, perhaps Mainstreet could also come up with some of those neat "district" signs like downtown....

Arts District
Bar District
Alternate Culture District
Williams-Sonoma Line


Okay...sorry, that was off thread....

[Jim O'Bryan]

Though since I live right behind the Beck Center, it'd be great if this neighborhood became an Arts District!

CD

Hey neighbor!

It really gives the Beck a ton of flexibility from what I have looked into. The city can look for grants for development, the schools can for unique teaching and the Beck for bringing their unique programs to an inner ring suburb.

Talking with Ken tonight the agreement is that very little of this would be available in the world of upscale suburbs.

Another interesting thing is while two groups sprung up to rebuild the arts in Lakewood. Westlake and Bay have repeatedly voted down levies for schools and the arts.

As I mentioned in the Tops thread, it is hard to see just how lucky Lakewood is, until you look outside.


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[Phil Florian]

It will be interesting to hear what Phil thought.

I had the fun distinction of being the least important person in the room. Honestly, this place was a veritable who's who among Boards of Trustees (from the school district and Beck), politicians (I think it had three council persons, the mayor, various other members of City Hall), civic leaders from various community organizations (Kenneth, of course, and other community organizations) and of course, the media (it WAS a Press Conference, after all). It was this last group that was the most entertaining aspect of the meeting but I will get to that in a minute.

The meat of the gathering is exactly as Jim and Kenneth have described. I was there in two capacities. One role was as a case worker for the Cuyahoga County Board of MR/DD who works with families in Lakewood and neighborhoods of Cleveland near us like Cuddell and Edgewater. We serve adults and children with disabilities and while we don't have a ton of people at the Beck, there are programs that have been very helpful to many families with kids with disabilities. This is a resource that has worked with our Board in educational aspects for a while through their music academy. It would have been a real shame for some of the families without many means to get out to a suburb like Westlake to lose these services in their own town.

My second role was as a citizen of the city with a deep love of theater and the arts and a hope that my children can grow into the Beck's many programs. It was in this last role that they day impressed me the most. I have two young girls (7 yrs. and a new one at 6 mo.) and we have already done some dance at the Beck and I was lucky enough to be cast in a show a few years ago. It is so close, so accessible and so wholely Lakewood that its loss would have been tough to deal with. The fact that it is staying and its role expanding with the schools thrills me to no end.

Highlights for me:
1) Establishing an "art's district." I don't know what this will really mean other than finding business opportunities that might be a match for the new Vision of the Beck and so on. But the idea of it is a stamp on Lakewood that will be a gift to not only our city but a draw to even more to come into the town to work, play and maybe to live.
2) The Academy of Arts and Communication. Finally, a serious look at the Arts as more than just something fun to do after school when everything else is done. This is serious business and a path for some to grow and make a career, not just a hobby.
3) An Interwoven partnership. There are no guarntees in life but one of the best ways to ensure that Beck stays firmly seated in Lakewood is to intertwine it with Lakewood City and Schools. Beck won't be on a pedestal. It will be a living and breathing part of day to day commerce and education that gives and takes with the schools and other local entities.
4) Read my lips: No new taxes. Seriously. If it is to be believed (and I don't have any reason not to, at this point) these interwoven relationships are back-scratching opportunities to pass limited monies back and forth and pretend at riches. City of Lakewood won't be spending much on this at all. Lakewood City Schools aren't paying anything to the Beck. It is a sharing of existing resources to start off with but more importantly, as noted above, it is the combined group of organizations that will bring NEW money and resources to the city. It is all about growth, not eating away at dwindling dollars.

This is the big stuff.

Concerns:

1) Issue 18. I am not sure how much they are betting on this but it was clear that there is a strong home that 18 passes. It was actually an interesting side note. While I haven't read or seen anything that indicates how revenue is spent from 18, a Beck representative noted that there was a certain amount, in the neighborhood of "six figures" by his count, that the Beck would get from this annually. I hope that they took into account that this still might not pass.
2) Politics: No offense to Mayor George, but I didn't get much from him other than the usual generalized political platitudes high on praise but low on substance. "It will be good for the city" was how things can be summed up. On the positive, people jumped in with the specifics he was lacking, like Dr. Estrop and another gent (I can't remember) who spoke specifically about the real benefit of the center on the city. I think less glad handing and empty praise should be left for the big show at the state and federal level.
3) Media: Once burned, twice shy? Why there were some good questions asked during the Q&A portion (none by Jim O, though...holding out on us? Or more, I suspect we have an exclusive! ) some were plaining airing old grudges. Tom Muldready, who I really respect for his battle to keep urban flight to a minimum and reverse it if possible, turned a backhanded compliment (he was very happy in the decision) into a complaint about access and lack of returned phone calls.

Another gent, I think Mayor George called him "Pat," did more grandstanding than asking questions. He started a question with an uncomfotably long analogy comparing the Beck looking at other locations to Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind" tearing down curtains to look like she had more suitors than she really had. Save the purple prose (or yellow journalism) for the written word. Ask the question. He eventually did and it wasn't a bad one. He wanted to know what will happen to their 1 million dollar debt. But prefacing his question with such a ridiculous analogy (even if accurate, it wasn't even a part of his question) was silly.

The beef of Tom was around the PD article by Tony Brown who apparently had a bit more info than the average bear (not our bear...see Jim's original post on this that points to more than one leak). Valid, maybe. The place to handle this dispute? No. That is what you do in your publication, I would think.

One of the nice side conversations I did have after the meeting (I didn't try the donuts, though they looked excellent) was a small conversation with the Beck's Artistic Director, Scott Spence. Scott has been given credit for making the Beck's season the most adventurous in the region, according to Tony Brown. This is pretty accurate, too. Scott confirmed that though they will out a'courtin' and raising money he doesn't plan to turn the Beck into an "all star" run of only shows that appeal only to those who think "Sound of Music" is the deepest play on earth. He will continue to mix audience pleasing fare like "Beauty and the Beast" with older edgier shows like "Equus" (still a tough show) and newer shows that run the same gamut from light and fun to thought provoking and moving. He is also excited about living the dream of every AD in the Country: having the chance to be a part of building a new theater from the ground up. His excitement and joy at staying here was palpable.

That was my blabber on this. I might think of more things as I get a bit further from this and read other comments but overall, good stuff for the Beck and great for Lakewood residents.

Phil

[Jim O'Bryan]

Phil

A couple quick thoughts, you might have been the most important person in the room. Everyone else there that I could see had an agenda, reason or being paid to be there. You were the person they are seeking.

Pat is in Pat Ballasch, a Realtor and a friend who is in the office often though does not write for the paper, but is a member of the Observation Deck. Pat sometimes is taken wrong, but much like Bill Call has a strictly realistic bottom line view of business and real estate dealings.

As for Pat's question. You have a cash strapped city, with a cash strapped school district partnering with a cash poor civic arts group, that even mentioned today loses money every year. My thought from day one has been can we afford the Beck Center? It was never the value of the Beck or their status as one of the great arts groups in the state. Much like a Ferrari, a perfect car for me, but I could never afford one.

Think long and hard about the answer to that question that was given today.

It would seem that today the emphasis was on grant money, and that is good.

Scott Spence - I have heard nothing but great things about Scott. He certainly seems to be the person that can take the Beck Center to a higher level. He is good for the Beck and what is good for the Beck would appear to be good for the city.

This is a win win win.

The way I see it, we have a chance as a city to come together and make this work. It is not going to be that easy, but if we can pull it off it will make Lakewood a little better.

It would be nice if they could pull in Virgina Marti into the deal.

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[Chris Trapp]

Congratulations to everyone that made this decision possible. It appears to be great news for the community!
I ask the following questions, though, to try to better understand the most recent developments. Hopefully my understanding of the events is accurate.
It is somewhat amazing to me that the Beck initially focused so much attention to the condition of their buildings, the required improvements, and potential sources of $$$. From reading the observations of those present at today's announcement, the focus seems to have shifted to more intangible factors. It does seem that the ability and desire to collaborate on funding with the city will prove valuable. But this falls far short of what they were previously seeking.
Do you think that the Beck came to the realization that they weren't going to be able to cash-in in any other cities? Did they have a change of heart and take a broader look at the benefits that Lakewood could offer? Or was the general consensus wrong on what was motivating them from the beginning?
Thanks for any insight.