Elliot Moore, music director and conductor of the Longmont Symphony Orchestra, plays during a media event Thursday. A news conference was held at the Longmont Sugar Mill for a campaign in favor of building the Longmont Center for Arts and Entertainment. (Cliff Grassmick/Staff Photographer)
The sugar factory, with its towering smokestacks and brick walls, has been a fixture of Longmont for decades. But one group is ready to give it a new life as a city-owned venue for arts and entertainment.
On Thursday, the group launched its campaign supporting the creation of the Longmont Center for Arts and Entertainment. Local musicians, business leaders, educators and elected officials joined together under the lofty ceiling of the sugar factory to share their thoughts on what such a venue would add to the city.
“This will be a center for the people of Longmont, by the people of Longmont,” said Elliot Moore, music director of the Longmont Symphony Orchestra on Thursday. “It will reflect the diversity of who we are and will have programming and opportunities for every single citizen in our great town.”
The group behind the campaign has proposed a public-private partnership to build the center. It would raise $35 million for the facility over five years, after which Longmont taxpayers would cover the remaining $45 million to pay for the $80 million center.
The ballot measure must first be approved by voters in November, but the center aims to be a home for cultural expression for the region, hosting concerts, plays, comedy acts and other performances. By turning the contaminated factory at 11806 Sugar Mill Road into an arts center, the group believes it’s a chance to revitalize a historically significant part of the city.
“It does create a first impression, and that first impression isn’t always a positive one,” said Scott Cook, CEO of the Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce, of the factory. “This helped build Longmont, it is a part of our history. It’s something that we’re proud of, but there should be a next chapter to this.”
Cameron Grant, board chair of the Longmont Economic Development Partnership, joined Cook in speaking to the economic benefits a performing arts center would bring, as well as its role in making Longmont an “engaging and colorful urban center.”
“Sometimes, we forget that arts organizations are also businesses,” Grant said. “They hire people locally, they buy goods and services locally, and they attract tourists to the community.”
The center would also offer opportunities for youth to perform and grow their musical talents. Steve Villarreal, president of the St. Vrain Valley Education Association, discussed the potential the center has to connect students with visiting artists.
“Some of our students, quite frankly, can’t go down to Denver. (They) can’t go up to Fort Collins or even Greeley to see some of these performances,” Villarreal said. “I think we have an obligation to not only teach our kids about culture, but also let them experience it in the real world by building a world-class facility.”
The vision for the center is two venues under one roof: one a more traditional concert hall for classical performances, and the other a stage for a variety of musical genres.
“I’ve lived here my whole life, and I’ve seen ever since I was a small child that art is so deeply rooted in the hearts of Longmontians,” said Longmont High School senior Brody Mundt, who performed original blues rock songs on his guitar for Thursday’s attendees.
Mundt said it’s been hard to perform with his band when there isn’t a dedicated performing arts space in Longmont, meaning they often have to travel to nearby cities for gigs. He also said the center could be an outlet for new musicians to really develop their craft.
“Just having something like this in our community, I think it would bring us all together so much,” he said.
The campaign kickoff closed with a cello performance by Moore, which sent music echoing through the spacious, empty mill. He said he’s hopeful that Longmont will support the ballot measure this fall, even though residents tend not to want their taxes raised.
Longmont City Councilwoman Marcia Martin agreed.
“It’s really important to understand that the public investment in all of this is far in the future,” Martin said. “I hope that we are just thrilled with anticipation by the time it comes about.”
