Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Downtown performing-arts center still a needed project
After Friday's dustup over the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, in which Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs and DPAC's closest supporters tussled over her decision not to speed more county money to help build the center, it's best for all concerned to take a deep breath.
Appreciate what's at stake.
And then commit to working together again to see that the arts center gets built.
Metro Orlando needs a new performing-arts center to better attract traveling shows that find venues in other cities more appealing; to give our region's excellent orchestra, ballet and theater groups stages befitting them; and to help make the region a more powerful economic draw. Without DPAC, Orlando's aging Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre increasingly looks like something Andy Hardy hammered together to "put on a show."
No wonder, then, that the city and Orange County agreed in 2007 to build the arts center; that it attracted widespread public support and donors; and that this editorial board strongly backed it.
Of course, the public also wanted to see the project, as with any project using public money, built right. As did Jacobs. After she won election as mayor, she was approached by DPAC and the city of Orlando to see if she could speed more tourist tax dollars to the project to make up for funding lost to the recession.
Before releasing the money, she chose to see whether those representing the center were exacting all the reasonable savings they could from it.
We applauded her for doing so as the county uncovered some questionable expenses. We also applauded a restructuring Jacobs sought: DPAC would concentrate on fundraising and operating the center, while a new committee would oversee construction.
But saying she still wasn't satisfied with the speed and commitment with which DPAC and Orlando were addressing construction and operations issues, Jacobs announced her decision not to speed more county money to the project. She then thought it important to stress that "this is a city project and not a county project."
We strongly disagree. It's a regional project, one the county, including then-Commissioner Jacobs, agreed in 2007 to support.
Jacobs warned Friday of operating deficits. She said DPAC was dragging its feet in addressing them. But DPAC provided an operations plan that same day that some connected to the new oversight committee said showed considerable progress.
Said one: "Jacobs has added value to the center by asking questions, but let's work the process through."
We agree. The committee, DPAC and Mayor Buddy Dyer should continue to search for savings in the center's construction and operations budget. But Jacobs owes it to the region to let them try.
It's too soon to judge whether she should speed more tourist dollars to the center. But we're skeptical that the $8 million the project's backers want advanced by the county would cripple its tourist-tax funded marketing efforts. Indeed, a new performing-arts center in Orlando would draw thousands of visitors to the area each year.
Jacobs was right to take her concerns about the arts center public. Right to encourage it to be built and eventually operated as efficiently as possible. But her precipitous move to deny the project more county money before the center's supporters could continue to make improvements to its plans could imperil the project. The state might withdraw a $15 million grant. Construction bids for the project could expire, and costs rise. Donations could wither.
As leader of the region's largest government, Jacobs needs to get back to helping one of the region's most prized projects, not wash her hands of it.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Reverb Nation Tune Pak (LISTEN!!!)
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Dr. Phillips Center Project Update
Good afternoon. I wanted to make sure you were updated on the latest details surrounding the arts center project.
We are continuing discussions with Orange County regarding the center's operations model. In a letter to Mayor Jacobs on March 8, we explained our review process and proposed dates for a county workshop. On March 29, Mayor Jacobs wrote back requesting alternate operational scenarios to the plan we outlined; we responded to the Mayor the following week with a revised schedule.
At last week's board meeting, we discussed the county's information request and our processes. For the Stage 1 plan, we've continued reviews of our operations plan by CEOs of national performing arts centers; we've also chosen to include reviews by operations executives from Disney, Universal and the Orlando Magic. Our Operations Committee, with board members Chuck Steinmetz and Craig Ustler, also is engaged in the process.
The Dr. Phillips Center Board will participate in an operations workshop next week and then we will be ready to submit the plan to Mayor Jacobs by next Friday.
We do anticipate more media stories surrounding operations as well as yesterday's OCCC meeting, our recent gap estimates, and the financial urgency of moving the project forward. We will continue to keep you updated on any developments. As always, we appreciate your support.
Best,
Kathy Ramsberger
President, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
"You have to be willing to risk it all to discover something new."
Friday, April 08, 2011
"You have to be willing to risk it all to discover something new."
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
Sunday, April 03, 2011
Saturday, April 02, 2011
The Pharcyde - Runnin'
Can't keep runnin' away.....
Verse one: fat lip
I must admit on some occasions I went out like a punk
And a chump or a sucka or something to that effect
Respect I usedto never get when all I got was upset
When niggas use to be like 'what's up fool!' and tried
To seat a nigga like the lip for no reason at all I can
Recall crip niggas throwin' c in my face down the hall
I'm kickin' it in the back of the school eatin' chicken at
Three, wonderin' why is everybody always pickin' on me
I tried to talk and tell tham chill I did nothing to deserve
This but when it didn't work I wasn't scared just real
Nervous and unprepared to deal with scrappin' no doubt
'cause my pappy never told me how to knock a nigga out
But now in 95 I must survive as a man on my own fuck
Around with fatlip yes ya get blown I'm not tryin to show
No macho is shown but when it's on, if it's on, then it's on!
Verse two: slim kid tre
There comes a time in every mans life when he's gotta
Handle up on his own can't depend on friends to
Help you in a sqeeze, please they got problems of their
Own down for the count on seven chickens shits don't
Get to heaven til they faced these fears in these fear
Zones used to get jacked back in high school I played
It cool just so some real shit won't get full blown being
Where I'm from they let the smoke come quicker than an
Evil red-neck could lynch a helpless colored figure and
As a victim I invented low-key til the keyhole itself got
Lower than me so I stood up and let my free form form
Free. said I'm gonna get some before they knockin' out me.
I don't sweat it I let the bullshit blow in the breeze
In other words just freeze
Verse three: knumbskull #1
It's 1995 now that I'm older stress weighs on my shoulders
Heavy as boulders but I told ya
Till the day that I die I still will be a soldier and that's all I told
Ya and that's all I showed ya
And all this calamity is rippin' my sanity
Can it be I'm a celebrity
Whose on the brink of insanity
Now don't be wishin's of switchin' any positions with me
'cause when you in my position, it ain't never easy
To do any type of maintaining 'cause all this gaming and famin' from
Entertainin' is hella straining to the brain and...
But I can't keep runnin I just gotta keep keen and cunnin'...