Press release: Private fundraising for Greensboro performing arts center exceeds $35 million goal

The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro distributed a press release this afternoon announcing that the private fundraising goal for a downtown performing arts center has been hit as of today's deadline. Below is the text from the majority of the press release (excluding the long list of individual private donors):

Private donations totaling an unprecedented $35.4 million-plus have been pledged to the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts, thus surpassing a community challenge by the center’s namesake, The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro announced today.

The total raised as of today is $35,448,920.

“We are most appreciative of the unprecedented level of support for this critical project for our community,” said Kathy Manning, who is leading the private fundraising effort. “Time and again, individuals, families, foundations and businesses demonstrated their generosity to ensure we build the state-of-the-art facility that will help transform Greensboro. With this extraordinary show of support by the private sector, we are thrilled to move on to the next step – working with the city to get the performing arts center built.”

Fundraisers exceeded a $35-million community challenge made by Steven B. Tanger, president, chief executive officer and a director of Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. On Sept. 9, shortly after fundraisers had pushed past $20 million in pledges, Tanger announced his own $7.5-million challenge pledge, contingent on fundraisers collecting a total of $35 million in private support.

Among the major gifts committed since Sept. 9 include:

• VF Corporation: $1 million
• Lincoln Financial Group: $500,000
• Bank of North Carolina: $125,000

“I am very pleased that our community has dug deeply and generously to help us achieve my challenge goal of raising $35 million,” Tanger said. “This is an astonishing accomplishment, for which I congratulate the fundraising volunteers. Their diligent work, and the generosity of all of our donors, is making possible a watershed moment in the history of Greensboro. I am filled with gratitude and excited to see this project break ground in the coming months!”

The success of the private fundraising efforts has resulted in the biggest private-public partnership in Greensboro’s history. “It’s awe-inspiring to see the $35 million goal achieved,” Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan said. “We’re very appreciative of the residents and business leaders in Greensboro who have invested in this important project for our downtown.”

Ground is expected to be broken for the center next fall, with an anticipated opening in 2016. It will be located on land bordered by North Elm and East Lindsay streets and Summit Avenue.

GPAC to be named the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts

Steven Tanger

The downtown Greensboro performing arts center hasn't exactly been born yet, but this morning we found out what it will be called: the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts.

The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro announced that Tanger, the president and CEO of Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, will donate $7.5 million to the project — the largest gift yet — as long as private fundraising reaches $35 million.

The original target for committed private funds was $20 million, but Greensboro City Council voted last month to move forward with a plan build the center with $30 million from both the public and private sectors, a goal Community Foundation President Walker Sanders said was attainable. Including Tanger's donation, private commitments already reach $28.3 million, and the foundation said the new $35 million challenge is feasible.

Council and community members had already called the private fundraising "unprecedented" for the "game-changing" performing arts center, and Mayor Robbie Perkins said in a press release that he is "overwhelmed by the generosity of this gift."

The Community Foundation also released the logo for the center and said it expects the project to break ground in June 2014 and open in 2016. Here's the logo: 

Performing arts center exceeds private fundraising goal

The proposed downtown Greensboro performing arts center took a step closer to fruition today with the announcement that private fundraising has exceeded the $20 million goal. The threshold has now been upped to $30 million, all of this shortly before council considers spending millions extra on the project to purchase land for the GPAC rather than using city-owned property nearby. Council will discuss the item on Tuesday.

Here's the full press release that includes the names of private donors supporting the arts center:

"The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro is pleased to announce that it now has pledges totaling $20.747 million from 68 individuals, families, foundations and businesses for the proposed downtown performing arts center.

“The response to this effort has been incredible,” said Kathy Manning, a Greensboro attorney who has spearheaded the fundraising efforts. “Even though our fundraising to date has been focused on major donors, we’ve been amazed by the number of individuals who have taken the initiative to contact us to make pledges. We look forward to broadening our campaign efforts in the fall.”

In light of the fundraising success, the decision has been made to increase the fundraising goal to $30 million. This will enable the private sector to be full partners with the public sector and will provide enough funds to build a truly first-rate performing arts center.

“We are, simply, overwhelmed by this unprecedented fundraising success for a vital economic driver for Greensboro,” said Walker Sanders, president of The Community Foundation. “Our entire community should be grateful for the pledges of our generous donors.”

The following list represents all donors who have made pledges to date:

• Anonymous (3)
• Lindsey and Frank Auman
• Caroline and Jim Barber
• Bell Foundation
• Denny Kelly and Lou Bouvier
• Louise and Jim Brady
• Cooper Brantley
• Nancy and Frank Brenner
• Suejette and David Brown
• Joe Bryan, Jr.
• The Joseph M. Bryan Foundation of Greater Greensboro
• The Hon. Frank and Frances Bullock
• Lisa and Willie Bullock
• Linda and Jim Carlisle
• Vanessa and Roy Carroll
• Linda and Bill Cary
• The Cemala Foundation
• CityView Apartments
• Irene and Irv Cohen
• Cole Family Foundation
• Elizabeth W. “Betty” Cone
• Cone Mills Charitable Fund
• Pat and Pete Cross
• Dr. Gary and Ellen Fischer
• Eva Jane Gorrell
• Nancy and Bernie Gutterman
• Pam and Steve Hassenfelt
• Donna and Robert Hodgman
• Sara S. and George W. House
• Jill Wilson and Marc Isaacson
• Tobee and Leonard Kaplan
• Kathy Manning and Randall Kaplan
• Milton Kern
• Dr. Eugene S. and Gail M. LeBauer
• Dr. Joe LeBauer
• Dr. Sam and Joan LeBauer
• Laurie and Oliver Lloyd
• Kathryn and Bobby Long
• Lorillard, Inc.
• Trude and Tom McCarty
• Susan and Mackey McDonald
• Madeline and Everette Mills
• Morrisette Paper Co.
• Susan and Joseph Nehmen
• NewBridge Bank
• Donna and Bob Newton
• Susan Petty
• Gloria and Reid Phillips
• Phillips Foundation
• Jane and Royce Reynolds
• Emilie and Arthur Samet
• Sylvia and Norman Samet
• Dabney and Walker Sanders
• Sara Lee and Paul Saperstein
• Cindi and Jim Schrum
• Joy and Steve Shavitz
• Pam and David Sprinkle
• Tannenbaum-Sternberger Foundation
• Toleo Foundation
• VF Corporation
• Leslye and Marshall Tuck
• Dr. Robert and Kim Wainer
• Sarah and Jack Warmath
• Rochelle Weiner
• Judy and Len White
• Sally and Ed Winslow

The cost of the center, as proposed last year by a task force created by The Community Foundation on the city’s behalf, was estimated at $60 million. Originally, the Foundation committed to helping raise $20 million in private donations, and the city approved $20 million in user fees. The city is now contemplating the purchase of land for the project which would involve additional user fees.

The fundraising team is committed to continuing its efforts to ensure this project is completed in a way that honors the work of the task force’s recommendations. An important component of those recommendations includes the implementation of an arts stabilization fund.

“We want to make sure that the type of $60 million facility recommended by the task force, with the input of nationally recognized consultants, is realized,” added Gordon Soenksen, chief development officer at The Community Foundation. “So, we aren’t quite done, and we look forward to connecting additional supporters throughout the community with this important project for Greensboro’s future.”"

Hartzman questions GPAC funding, research

Hartzman sent us this head shot to use as a joke.
We're still waiting for a real one.

Greensboro mayoral candidate George Hartzman is a man of many questions. To anyone familiar with city politics, especially city council meetings, this comes as no surprise. Hartzman's questions — posed to city staff and council members at meetings and again (with a slew of local media and bloggers copied) in regular emails — usually focus on a lack of government transparency and a perceived absence of necessary research on issues the city is deciding. 

The emails, at times daily, vary between a single issue (often with a link to his blog) and a plethora of questions, like the one that came through around 12:30 a.m. last night entitled "Where is the money to buy the GPAC properties coming from?" A good question, since council was originally considering using land it already owns and previously committed $20 million of public funds to the proposed performing arts center (not including millions more to buy land for the project). 

Hartzman also asked about the expected impact on the Carolina Theatre, which should be a significant consideration and (in this reporter's opinion) has mostly been brushed off by GPAC proponents who make vague statements about the arts organizations working together to avoid hindering each other.

Here's the full body of Hartzman's email, with my emphasis added. 

"Where are candidate info requests?

Why aren't they in the IFYI?

Approximately when will speakers from the floor commence on August 20?

Please provide the parking study that shows how much governmental tax revenue will come in from public parking at the new GPAC spot that will pay for the debt service.

Where is the chamber of commerce/Greensboro Partnership going to move to?

What's it like to sell your soul at the expense of everyone else?

What are the anticipated heavily used avenues for cars coming into and out of downtown for a show?

What is the anticipated traffic congestion for GPAC shows and Ball games on the same night, that will most likely end at the same relative time?

What will be the ability of those trying to get into downtown to go to a club if a ball game and GPAC show occur on the same night?

What is the anticipated effect on the Carolina Theater, considering the venue that went under when DPAC opened up?

What are the anticipated noise levels from crowds leaving the GPAC?

Are the details of the private donations going to be made public before August 20?"

We won't be posting all of Hartzman's emails to us and the city, of course (he has his own blog for that), but we will be covering the mayoral race more in depth as the primary between Hartzman, Councilwoman Nancy Vaughan and Mayor Robbie Perkins draws closer. Several candidates in other races said Hartzman contacts them regularly, too. John Alexander Underwood in District 4 said Hartzman is assembling a loose coalition of challengers to help each other defeat incumbents, himself included. 

Community Foundation puts performing arts center initiative in motion

The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro has assembled a task force to advance to engage community dialogue, explore the feasibility and look for private funding for a performing arts center. Foundation President Walker Sanders said the task force will report back to council on June 19.

Mayor Robbie Perkins referenced the facility as a “Downtown Performing Arts Center,” indicating that the process is strongly tilting towards a facility in downtown rather than at the coliseum complex on Lee Street.

The foundation has hired Ross Harris as a project manager. Harris served as Perkins’ campaign manager during his successful bid last year to unseat Bill Knight as mayor.

The task force, which includes an advisory committee and subcommittees, is comprised of a who’s who list of power brokers in the arenas of arts and culture, real estate development and philanthropy: former NC Supreme Court Chief Justice Henry Frye and Louise Brady as co-chairs of the task force, Guilford County Superior Court Judge Patrice Hinnant and lawyer Reid Phillips as co-chairs of an economic impact/feasibility task force, Green Hill Center for NC Arts Executive Director Laura Way and Triad Stage Managing Director Rich Whittington as co-chairs of the economic impact/feasibility subcommittee for arts and culture, Greensboro Neighborhood Congress advisor Donna Newton and Mike Diamond as co-chairs of the citizen engagement task force, Kathy Manning as co-chair of the development/marketing task force.

The advisory committee also includes Downtown Greensboro Inc. President Ed Wolverton, NC Secretary of Cultural Resources Linda Whittington, Coliseum Director Matt Brown, public relations consultant Monty Hagler and Sanders.

Salted throughout the task force structure are civic heavy hitters including developer and downtown rentiers Roy Carroll and Randall Kaplan; community volunteer Betty Cone; former Councilwoman Florence Gatten; Cemala Foundation Executive Director Susan Schwartz; East Market Street Development Corp. President Mac Sims; Carolina Theatre President Keith Holliday; tea party activist Jeff Hyde; Green Bean owner Katie Southard, Greensboro Zoning Commissioner Ray Trapp; preservationist Marsh Prause; lawyer George House.

Sanders said the foundation plans to hire a nationally recognized consultant to assist in planning for the performing arts center. The foundation plans to hold three public forums in April and May. Sanders also said members of the task force will visit performing arts center in other cities.

“I think we all agree that one of the voids in this economy and the need for economic development is the lack of a performing arts center in Greensboro,” Sanders said.

The council heard some rumbling of dissent in tonight’s meeting from Michael Roberto, a professor at NC A&T University.

“We have serious, serious economic problems in this city,” Roberto said. “This council should be creating a task force to look at economic development and poverty…. Poverty is 20 percent. Last year poverty was 20 percent. I think it’s really incumbent for this city council to make poverty the priority.

“We should be planning to [build a performing arts center] in the next three years or so,” he continued. “The [Federal Reserve] is going to keep interest rates down through the end of 2014. There is no big rush to do it right now. We should make our priority economic development and the eradication of poverty.”

Mayor Perkins responded, “I think we all agree that job creation is the number one way to eradicate and move that poverty rate down.”