Is It Time To Tear Down Beck Center? An Apology

[Bill Call]

Is there an unlimited demand for art?
Is there an unlimited demand for plays?
Is there an unlimited demand for art education?

No.

Just to the East of Lakewood millions in taxpayer dollars have created a thriving arts district in Gordon Square.

http://gordonsquare.org/capitol.html

Cleveland Public Theater is thriving:

http://gordonsquare.org/cpt.html

The brand new Near West Theater is offering first class entertainment:

http://gordonsquare.org/nwt.html

Hundreds millions of taxpayer dollars have created a brand new arts and entertainment district just to the West of Lakewood in Crocker Park.

What service does the Beck Center actually provide that cannot be provided better just a couple of miles away?

It provides no economic benefit.

It provides no tax benefit.

It provides no added value. There are superior venues available just a few miles away.

It survives only at the whim of the Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.
http://www.cacgrants.org/

It will never receive the subsidies that are given to Playhouse Square, Gordon Square and Crocker Park. It will always be a poor relation.

A few years the Board of the Beck Center was working quietly and secretly to move the facility to Crocker Park. I publically opposed moving the Beck to Westlake. I was wrong.

There is a much better use for that land. New development and new opportunities await us.

Tear it down!

[m buckley]

Brilliant! Tear it down. But only after City Council goes into double secret executive session because that's the way we do business in Lakewood. And only after they attempt to define those who would oppose this move as overly emotional and utterly incapable of analytical thought. Tear it down because they say it's inevitable. Tear it down because those that want it torn down are too big to fail. Tear it down because what we want doesn't matter. Summers, Siley, Madigan and Butler - those are their names. They need to go.

[Michael Deneen]

At last night's School Board meeting I learned that there are fewer than 5,500 kids in the Lakewood School District.

That means 45,000 residents don't attend Lakewood schools.

Maybe we can outsource education to Avon and use those ten building sites for development! #summerslogic

[Michael Deneen]

double secret executive session

That sounds like "Double Secret Probation"!

[Bill Call]

Suppose tomorrow morning the Mayor announced his intention to demolish Beck Center to make room for a recreation center. Would the people who support replacing Lakewood Hospital with a recreation center support that deal?

Why not?