Letter: 311 W. Main St. Fact Versus Fiction

One of the most contentious issues that our borough has faced during my tenure as a Ward II Councilman has been the status of 311 West Main Street. There has been much debate on this subject and, more importantly, too much mis-information lobbed about regarding intentions for this building's potential uses. This letter's intent is to put out some facts based upon my experience as the chairman of the 311 West Main Street Task Force. 

When I ran for office in 2009, the then Performing Arts Center was, as it is now, a political hot potato. It was an ill-conceived, poorly-planned mess with no business plan and had no one with proper credentials to run it. No one involved had the willingness to do the hard work of proper marketing or fundraising.  The building was opened over the objections of Fire Marshall Jay Daveler with over 40 code and safety violations.  This is the problem our current Borough Council inherited. One of my campaign promises was to try to turn this failure into a downtown destination. That's why I volunteered to chair the Task Force and take on this monumental task last January.

The 311 Task Force was formed as an advisory committee to assist Borough Council in making an informed decision on what to do with a Borough owned building that sits dark and empty right in the middle of our downtown. The Task Force was comprised of Council members, Borough staff, citizens and arts and culture professionals. We were tasked with doing research and analyzing information presented to us and to prepare a detailed report for Borough Council so they could make decisions based on facts and not some whim. Detractors have been saying we have rushed this through. The truth is quite different. The Task Force sat through an entire year of lengthy public meetings gathering information. A year's worth of hard work is far from rushing a project along.

During these meeting we received an assist from Spiezle Architects. Scott Malin worked on a variety of conceptual ideas for this building's potential. We also analyzed tearing it down and starting from scratch. Tearing the building down was not a feasible option. Besides, is an empty lot on Main Street really what this Borough needs? An empty lot would merely be a huge monument to past failures. I feel we need to look to the future.  AMS Consulting Group was also hired to help us in our research. AMS is a professional consulting firm that has analyzed and worked on projects like this across the country and are considered experts in the field. I, like every other elected official in our Borough, am not by any means an expert in the arts. I also would never claim I knew the first thing about running a theater. I can, however, make an informed decision when guided by experts like AMS. That's why we need the expertise of professional consultants.

There was also community support for making this into some type of arts center. We received an on-line petition with over 700 names on it in support of an arts center. AMS also did a survey and found that 80% of local residents also supported it, as did the local business community. This tells me we need to do something with 311 West Main. We can't just tear it down or watch it deteriorate before our very eyes.

We then presented Borough Council with our detailed report. We made it clear that there are very specific steps that need to be taken. We need a proper business and marketing plan. We need a capable board of directors to oversee operations. We need a strong fundraising plan with attainable quotas to garner the funds for its operation. We need an experienced director.  The first step has already been taken. We have brought Ms. Laura Burnham on board to help guide us in this process. Ms. Burnham has an impressive résumé and has held a multitude of responsible positions in the arts field since 1987. Nowhere did the Task Force recommend that any government entity attempt to run an arts facility.  Our detractors, most of which never attended a single meeting, said we did not institute what AMS recommended us to do and wasted taxpayer money. Again, the truth is different. This is exactly what AMS recommended to us. The only point we disagreed with AMS on was the renovation. They recommended doing it in phases. We felt that if we needed to do this, we needed to commit fully. The Task Force felt that phased repairs would be perceived as a weak commitment by the Borough and scare off potential users.

We also did not tell Borough Manager Kirchner to pull out the checkbook and start spending money. Only Borough Council has that authority. I can assure everyone that before there is any discussion of dispersing public funds on this project, all of the steps previously mentioned must be fulfilled to Council's satisfaction. Only then will Council make a decision regarding public money. The rumors out there say we are raising taxes and spending great amounts of money on this right now. The truth is quite different. No one has spent a dime yet. There was never any discussion of a tax increase. I can also assure all of you that if someone mentions anything about raising taxes to repair an arts facility, I'll be first in line to vote no. I do feel that if we do this right and spend public money smartly, 311 West Main can become the downtown destination spot we all hope it can be.

In conclusion, I hope this letter has dispelled some rumors and given all of you some insight as to what is going on with this project. As always, I've tried to do what I think is best for our Borough. Lansdale and its residents always should come first. I don't follow the dictates of or be considered a rising star of any political party. I ask again for your support on May 21st in the primary.

MIKE SOBEL
Lansdale Borough Councilman
Former 311 W. Main Task Force Chairman