Geneva cultural arts center plan takes shape

A Geneva cultural arts center doesn't have to be a grand thing, according to Doug Holzrichter.

It may be better to start small and grow sustainably, he told the Geneva City Council Monday night, as he presented a business plan for creating such a place, on behalf of the Geneva Cultural Arts Commission.

Investigating the possibility of an arts center was one of the tasks assigned to the commission when the city formed it in 2006, he said.

The plan calls for an initial facility of up to 1,800 square feet, with spaces for classes, exhibits and performances. It would be operated and maintained by the Geneva Foundation for the Arts, a nonprofit formed in 2015.

Ideally, the center would be downtown, Holzrichter said, for visibility and to promote the downtown.

A 2010 survey indicated high interest in the arts among Geneva residents and for having a cultural arts center.

The foundation formed in 2013 to raise money for the arts, a center, and an endowment.

In 2015 and 2016 the commission studied 48 centers in similar-sized communities to determine how they started, what it would cost and who should operate it.

The plan estimates the center would need about $225,000 a year to run. Some of that could be recouped through instruction fees and admissions charged for performances.

Alderman Dean Kilburg asked if the commission had considered teaming up with the Geneva Public Library to put the center in a new library, should voters in April approve its construction. Holzrichter said that has been discussed. The library has preliminary design, but its board has held off on more specific planning until after the referendum.

The cultural commission has organized the Geneva Film Festival, performances of Shakespeare plays in parks, riverside concerts and other activities. It procured two sculptures that double as bicycle racks.

There's no schedule for opening a center, Holzrichter said. Next up is finding a suitable space. It has looked at renting a vacant storefront on State Street, a store building on South Third Street, and a house on East State.

"We're not going to shoot for the stars with this initial proposal. We're going to start with a modest, entry-level proposal; kind of like the hot dog stand to Portillo's," Holzrichter said.

"It (the plan) will at least allow us to react intelligently if an opportunity presents itself."

To see the plan, visit geneva.il.us.