Are Collin County leaders gnashing their teeth every time they’re reminded of Dallas’ shiny new arts district opening this fall? In almost seven years of efforts, the Arts of Collin County — a partnership between Allen, Frisco, and Plano to create an arts hall and park — has only managed to help build a road.
And while Dallas raised more than $330 million in funding during a nine-year campaign, the Arts of Collin County Foundation collected just $9 million (granted, in only about four years of concentrated effort). For some reason, the Foundation disbanded, saying that the Arts of Collin County Commission could take it — and the remaining $12-16 million shortfall — from there.
Then last year, the executive director who had been hired to usher the project into existence figured his work was done and headed off to North Carolina. That was shortly after project leaders asked McKinney to consider yet again participating in the project and ponying up $19 million as the other cities already had. McKinney refused even to take it back to the voters that had rejected it already.
Mike Simpson, the former mayor of Frisco, was tapped late last year to get the project out of its purgatory. You certainly can’t fault the man’s optimism. Last week, the Arts of Collin County Commission voted to start taking bids. Though they remain well short of their stated fund-raising goals, it seems they’ve found some new math to lead them to salvation:
The project has $60 million that was approved by voters in Allen, Frisco, and Plano, and Collin County leaders. They’ve also raised about $9 million. That gives them $69 million.
The original estimate for the first phase of the project was $85-88 million. They now believe that construction costs have fallen to the point that it should only run them about $81 million.
So there you have about $12 million to go. Through competitive bidding, Simpson says the savings could be “the equivalent to getting a $6 to $9 million donation.” Let’s assume the best case scenario, and say that that $9 million savings lets the project come under the $81 million estimate, at $72 million.
Suddenly you’re $3 million away from your goal. Which doesn’t seem all that much. Maybe they could finance the rest? But are the cities, like Plano, in shape to support that?
Hey, Bill Lively, after you’re done with the Super Bowl, Collin County could use your help.
