Leesburg commissioners clashed over the $2.4 million purchase of the Tropic Theater building during Monday’s meeting at city hall.
“This is crazy,” said Commissioner Jay Connell when the resolution to purchase the property came up for discussion.
City staff had recommended the purchase of the theater as part of the city’s downtown renewal program. Part of the rational for the purchase was that the city would be able to move the Leesburg Center for the Arts from the Partnership Building to the Main Street location and put a parking lot where the Partnership Building now stands. The plan would also require the city to construct a new storage building to house equipment which is presently stored in the Partnership facility.
Connell said that the proposal calls on the city to spend $150,000 to tear down the Partnership Building, $450,000 to construct a new storage facility near the electrical substation on Hall Circle and spend $450,000 to hire a professional design team to revisit the Market Street concept with additional parking. Connell told the other commissioners that he had examined the Partnership Building and felt that it could be repaired for a fraction of the cost of the Tropic Theater deal. He said that the money would be better spent on other Leesburg needs.
City Manager Al Minner pointed out that both the Downtown Master Plan and the commission’s stated objectives call for increasing the vitality of the downtown. The purchase would increase support for the arts including the relocation of the Melon Patch theater group as well as the Leesburg Center for the Arts to a better facility. Commerce in the downtown area would be improved as the new, larger building would bring in more customers to downtown businesses as well as promote private property owners to improve their properties, he said. He claimed that the increased parking as well as the removal of the old deteriorating Partnership Building would enhance the downtown in line with the Downtown Master Plan. Minner also explained that the sale and improvements would be paid for out of existing city funds and would still leave more than $2.75 million in reserve.
Three local business owners spoke for the need for additional parking and urged the city to make the purchase.
Commissioner Mike Pederson said that when he “first came to Leesburg more 25 years ago the downtown was 75 percent empty and the major businesses were pawn shops.” He told the other commissioners that the city has been making progress improving every year and now was the time to put money into downtown. Commissioner Allyson Berry said that art is important to the community and that she was in favor of the purchase. Commissioner Alan Reisman said that he welcomed the opportunity to support the arts. Mayor Jimmy Burry also spoke in favor of the purchase.
“We have a responsibility to support the arts,” he said. “This would increase the quality of life in Leesburg.”
The commission voted 4 to 1 to purchase the Tropic property with Commissioner Connell voting no.
