Theater plan gains extra time

In an unprecedented move Monday, Mayor Bill Bell gagged public debate on a proposed $42 million, 4,000-seat theater, giving a thumbs-up to developers amidst a vocal uproar.

Weary after four hours of listening to community members jockey for a slice of next year's budget, the City Council voted 6-1 to extend exclusive development rights for the downtown performance venue to a group including Clear Channel Entertainment. Only after the motion passed did Bell allow four of the more-than-two dozen citizens in attendance to say their piece.

Chaos, angry protests and hissing overtook the room when the mayor called for the vote. "Let the record reflect that no one who was against this extension was allowed to speak," Durham musician James Hepler shouted.

Much of the opposition centered on Durham's need for a theater and concerns about involving promoting giant Clear Channel Entertainment, but the crowd also balked at financial projections it criticized as "unrealistic."

But Council member John Best, Jr., the lone dissenting vote, came out against the theater, citing Durham's more pressing needs.

"We can spend the next four months making all the numbers look great on paper, but what we really need to do is spend this [time and money] working on the issues we've heard here tonight," Best said.

The state backing, however, is earmarked exclusively for the theater and cannot be used to supplement Durham's ailing budget.

Public opposition has amplified in recent weeks as two deadlines loom: If the Council does not commit to the project by October of this year developers may lose the plot; and if the site does not break ground by October 2005, Durham will forfeit the state money.

Residents say Durham does not adequately support existing arts venues and the city has not sought enough community input.

When Bell initially quashed debate on the extension, Michael Bacon commandeered the public microphone to make his voice heard. "This process with this theater has been very frustrating," he said. "I think it is unfair to have us sit through with this meeting and to tell us that we have to come back some other time."

Bell eventually relented to the protesters, and after the Council voted, he allowed several people to comment on the theater and the contract extension, despite the fact that the weekly meeting was entering its fifth hour. He also called for City Manager Marcia Conner to organize a series of public forums on the project.

Prior to the controversy, about 70 citizens weighed in on next year's proposed budget and lobbied the city to fund everything from more after-school activities for local students to paved roads to English as a Second Language programs.

Support for mentoring and violence prevention programs was most prevalent. Gang violence in Durham has spiked in the past several years, and area high school students were among those advocating for more community activities.

Jordan High School student Aurelia Fowler told how she could not attend her prom because her date was shot in gang crossfire shortly before he was supposed to pick her up. "I just want us peers and us teens to have more activities after school," she said.

The proposed $279.5-million budget for the 2004-2005 fiscal year, which is expected to be adopted June 21, includes a 5-cent increase in the property tax rate and an increase in mandatory waste fees.

Except for a few lonely protesters and a single picket sign, community members expressed no opposition to the tax hikes.