Dist. 303 taking over Norris Cultural Arts Center
An iconic St. Charles organization lost its namesake home Monday night as St. Charles Unit District 303 officials took complete control over the administration and operation of the Norris Cultural Arts Center.
The deal is retroactive to June 30, meaning the independent arts center organization now has less than one year to find a new location. The school board approved the takeover Monday with the district staff citing an ever-expanding school presence at the cultural center that was choking out the nonprofit.
The arts center operated inside a complex at the St. Charles East High School campus donated by Lester and Dellora Norris along with Edward Baker, all St. Charles icons. Students use the theater for performances and classes, but the arts center maintained independent operations for the more than 30 years of its existence.
“The students use the building a lot,” said District 303 Superintendent Don Schlomann. “It’s gotten to the point where it’s become more of a district facility and less of a community center.”
The district estimated students use the facility 75 percent of the time. With that in mind, school board members signed off on a deal to take over the center and relinquish the control it wields over three trusts designed to partially fund the activities that occur there.
Those trusts haven’t yielded much money in recent years and have basically paid for only some of the capital costs associated with the building. The district has paid the costs of all the utilities and most of the associated management expenses. The district will now assume the full costs of the facility while giving the trust monies back to the art center organization.
District 303 Chief Financial Officer Brad Cauffman said the costs of running the center will not create a substantial impact to the district’s budget. The district still plans to rent out the building when not in use to help defer some of the costs. Cauffman said historical use indicates the facility will never draw enough rental use to become a moneymaker for the district.
The district will assume ownership over almost all the contents of the facility except for a statue outside. With the arts center gone, the district must also develop a new name for the building. Schlomann said any new name will still contain “Norris” in reflection of the substantial donations made by the Norris family to the St. Charles East High School campus.
The takeover still needs final approval from a court. Schlomann said with both the school board and the arts center board agreeing to the terms, there is no reason to expect anything other than final legal approval of the deal.
The arts center board was set to meet Monday, but failed to gather a quorum. That board isn’t slated to meet again until August.