Hilton Head arts campus not viable

I attended the recent meeting of the Town of Hilton Head Island Arts Venue Committee when its consultant presented his study findings and recommendations. Committee members must have been in shock that their contractor did not endorse their dream of a large arts venue on Hilton Head Island.

The committee has now rejected this finding, confirming for all to see that their preconceived purpose had always been to conclude that an expensive arts campus is needed and is feasible. The farce has been exposed, folks. A large arts campus on Hilton Head would not be viable. Give it up.

The consultant made a number of recommendations that warrant consideration, including making Hilton Head a culinary destination. There is currently a proposal by the Technical College of the Lowcountry to build a culinary institute at Buckwalter Place in Bluffton. A culinary institute certainly is needed if Hilton Head is to become a culinary destination, but it should be located on Hilton Head, not in Buckwalter Place.

It occurs to me that the culinary institute could well be merged with the already-funded hospitality-management campus being built for the University of South Carolina Beaufort near Sea Pines. Let’s consider it.

I have another suggestion should this one not be feasible: There is a large empty building in Port Royal Plaza recently vacated by Sam’s Club that might well be suitable for a culinary institute.

Let’s consider all the needs and develop a consolidated plan to satisfy them. We might even save some money in the process.

This story was originally published May 10, 2017 at 10:14 AM with the headline "Hilton Head arts campus not viable."