McLean Board Considers New Theater with a $1 million Ongoing Deficit

The McLean Community Center board met Wednesday to discuss a proposal to build a new theater in downtown McLean that would operate at an annual $1 million deficit. Taxpayers would pay for the deficit.

Then on Sunday, the board met in a highly unusual and informal Sunday session to discuss its downtown plans. It appeared that some board members wanted to reconsider the plans.

On Wednesday, the board discussed the theater plans at a joint meeting of the board's Capital Facilities Committee and the Finance Committee.

 Facilities committee chair Risa Sanders said, the meeting was called because the board "is seriously evaluating a satellite space" in downtown and wanted to look at the cost of operating a "black box" theater, which they described as "a windowless room with bare walls" with flexible seating for 150.

There was no discussion of the cost of buying a site for such a theater or the cost of building it, but the staff report said it would cost estimated $1.1 million to run it, the anticipated revenue totalled $150,000, leaving a $1 million deficit to be financed by taxpayers.

Here are 5 things to know:

1. Community Center board member Robin Walker said, “I have yet to see any numbers backing up the need for a black box” theater.

The board has been considering a black box theater since 2007, Risa Sanders and Finance Committee chair David Sanders (they are not related) explained.

Risa Sanders said that a year-old survey of residents  that was presented to the board showed support for the theater.

“What we got at the meeting you can’t make heads or tails of it,” Walker said referring to the survey.

2. The Community Center contains the Alden Theater that seats nearly 300.

3. The members of the joint committee did not discuss the projected deficit, how it would be paid for it, the impact on taxpayers, etc.

4. McLean residents pay an additional property tax to finance the existing Community Center. The board has accumulated a surplus of $12 million over the years by collecting more tax dollars than they needed to operate the center.

McLean residents are already the center's current classes and performances by $1 million. The center's budget includes the $6 million operating budget and the $12 million surplus.

5. Two members of the McLean Citizens Association attended Wednesday's meeting.MCA has asked the MCC board to be more open with taxpayers.

Former MCA treasurer Bill Dent who attended the Wednesday meeting and who has personally appear before the MCC board to ask them to share more information with taxpayers said, "There was no discussion of the capital costs of the downtown expansion. I was suprised to learn that the incremental staffing cost of the new facility alone locks the community into more than $1M annually for perpetuity.

"Also, there was no mention of parking facilities for a new structure and what costs would be associated with operating/maintaining a parking facility".

Ted Smith, chair of the MCA's Taxation and Budget Committee who also attended the meeting said, "How can they have a $1M operating plan with no site, no building plan, no parking, etc., no time frame, no funding authority or plan, no guidance from the Board of Supervisors, and an inadequate survey of 770 people as guidance for "what McLean wants!"

 Next step: David Sanders said the board needs to determine: Will patrons come to a black box theater. Is there a competition for patrons?

The full board will discuss Sunday's discussion of the reconsideration of a project in downtown at its Dec. 14 meeting.

The board handed out paper copies of the staff report but has not posted the report on its website.