CITY'S NAME GOES ON CENTER MOVE MAY BOOST ITS RECOGNITION.

Byline: JUDY O'ROURKE

Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA -- Aiming to raise the profile of the Performing Arts Center at College of the Canyons, the school board this week approved adding the city's name to the venue.

City funds helped more than double the size of the auditorium when it was built three years ago and ensured community groups could perform there.

"It adds the branding of Santa Clarita to the Performing Arts Center and enhances the community feel -- that it's not only a college facility but a community center," Santa Clarita Mayor Marsha McLean said.

When the $18.3 million facility was built in 2004, about $2.4 million furnished by the city helped provide 926 seats instead of the planned 450.

"It was really a good idea because they've been selling out all of their commercial performances," McLean said.

The new name is Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at College of the Canyons.

The move could boost tourism when the college and the city start using the new name as a marketing tool.

"Any time we bring those outside visitors to Santa Clarita to attend a show, ... there's the opportunity for them to eat dinner at a local restaurant, stop by and shop at a local store, increasing sales tax dollars for the city," said Jason Crawford, the city's interim manager of Economic Development.

The change doesn't rule out naming opportunities for potential donors -- but perhaps it will help folks forget the embarrassment caused by an earlier naming fiasco. For a short time, the facility was known as the Vital Express Center for the Performing Arts.

In March 2006, the Valencia freight company of that name canceled its $2million endowment and right to keep its name on the center, citing reduced income due to a changing business environment and rising fuel costs.

Under the sponsorship contract, Vital Express was to have met its obligation in 120 monthly payments of $16,667 each. Troubles surfaced in 2005, when it was found that the contract was never finalized although the firm's name had already been associated with the center. The company paid $74,359.

Among the 300 events presented at the Performing Arts Center each year are a concert series featuring nationally and internationally known touring performers, student performances and shows by local nonprofit performing arts groups. A smaller space within the center offers experimental performances.

Some might view the venue in a league with the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts or the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza's Countrywide Performing Arts Center -- but the Cerritos center is owned by that city, and the public-private Thousand Oaks partnership doesn't involve a school.

Officials have struggled to gain name recognition for Santa Clarita's premiere performance auditorium similar to those of Cerritos or Thousand Oaks.

"This is really a unique relationship between the college and the city, and the city's performing arts users," said Floyd Moos, College of the Canyons' dean of fine and performing arts. "It allows our students to work onstage and backstage gaining artistic skills and technical skills, and it allows the patrons to enjoy great entertainment at a reasonable cost."

The college doesn't plan to tack the words "Santa Clarita" on the building but instead will install a sign outside.

judy.orourke(at)dailynews.com

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