CITY MAY LEAD EFFORT TO BUILD ARTS VENUES.

Byline: Teresa Jimenez Daily News Staff Writer

A recently completed city study could lead to a cultural arts facility in Santa Clarita that would host local and touring shows, and rent performance space and art classrooms.

A performing arts center has long been considered a feature that is lacking in the Santa Clarita Valley. Surveys have shown that along with some shopping opportunities, residents leave the area for plays and musical events.

And though a large-scale art center could take years to plan and develop, efforts are afoot to bring facilities to the community that would fill the gap until plans and money become available for a flagship center.

Community groups, the city and the William S. Hart Union High School District have begun working on bringing theaters to the city. The first plan involves the renovation of the Newhall Elementary School Auditorium, which was built in the 1940s and has served as a warehouse for years.

Hart High School also is preparing to refurbish its quake-damaged auditorium, which is used both by the school's students and local arts organizations.

Still, such a strong demand exists for arts facilities that the city decided to study the issue. A first phase, completed last year, evaluated arts programs available in the community. The second phase, presented to the City Council this month, looked in detail at how to increase programs and facilities. The Parks Commission will review the report at its meeting Thursday.

``The report suggests strongly that if the arts are going to succeed in this community, there are lots of partnerships that need to occur,'' said Rick Putnam, city parks director. ``The task will be to put in place a local arts agency that can see this master plan through.''

The report, completed by consultants hired by the city, makes two recommendations. The first suggests that the city should take the lead in forming a nonprofit organization charged with putting together money and a plan for building a center. The city has been hesitant about running the organization, however, preferring that local arts agencies take control.

``The first step is creating a local arts agency,'' Putnam said. ``How should it be formed? Who should be on it? Who should be the lead? Should the city lead? As with most of these kinds of efforts, it would be best if the community led rather than if it were city driven.''

The second suggests that a 1,000-seat theater with gallery, classroom and administrative space be constructed in partnership with the city, College of the Canyons, the Hart school district and The Newhall Land and Farming Company.

Newhall Land has expressed interest in contributing to the project, but not as a major funding organ, according to the report.

``The master plan does not identify a specific source of funding. It's not something the city is undertaking,'' Putnam said. ``It really is a community plan that will require a lot of collaboration to achieve.''

A market study done as part of the study found that at least 70,000 people annually from the Santa Clarita Valley and northern San Fernando Valley would visit a local arts center. And that number is expected to increase as the area becomes more developed.

The study looked at two size possibilities for the arts center: a 600-seat venue with a construction cost of about $10.1 million and a 1,000-seat theater with a cost of about $13.3 million. Neither proposal includes the cost of land.

Under a partnership arrangement, the city's contribution was estimated at $4.43 million to $6.65 million, depending on the size of the facility.

The consultants recommended the city pursue a larger facility because operating costs for either size is the same, and the community will eventually need more space.

One possible site mentioned was ``city center,'' the undeveloped area near Bouquet Junction where the future City Hall will be built. The city already has set aside 20 acres for an arts center at that location, but development of the area could take years because it is dependent upon the cleanup of the former Bermite explosives site.

Other locations proposed include Town Center in Valencia and the area between College of the Canyons and the California Institute of the Arts off the Golden State Freeway.

The report also recommends that the city expand its existing grant program, which this year is contributing $250,000 to local arts groups for capital projects. It recommends increasing the amount to $1 million.

It recommends that the city continue with plans to build an outdoor amphitheater, as well. The cost of such a facility is estimated at $2.9 million. Possible locations include the city center area and Towsley Canyon.

The consultants also looked at how the arts center should be run. They looked at the benefits of both a city-housed nonprofit organization and an independent organization, but recommended that the city take an active role because of the staff members' experience in programming events.

The proposals estimate quite a large financial contribution by the city - money not currently available. But Putnam pointed out that the city has strengthened its commitment to the arts over the years, and will continue to do so with the help of arts groups and private contributors.

``There's a lot of money that has come to and through the city for arts in the area,'' Putnam said.