Be up front about Hilton Head arts venue subsidies

Stu Rodman, a member of Beaufort County Council, believes that the Town of Hilton Head Island Venue Committee consultant did not consider the tourists who visit the island when evaluating our ability to support the multi-purpose hall.

I think not, since this would be an unbelievable error. I believe the consultant concluded the hall would not sustain itself even with the tourists included. This should not be a surprise. We know about subsidies. We know things like this almost always need to be subsidized. Art and subsidy go together like hand and glove.

We subsidize the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina with about $400,000 a year and this probably should be $500,000 because the building is degrading.

I sense that the proposed new hall is meant to be bigger, so it will probably need a bigger subsidy, let’s say $800,000. Let’s add another $200,000 for the outdoor venue. So, we are spending $400,000 now and we could be looking at $1.5 million.

All of this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t do it. Subsidies aren’t inherently bad. Some things are worth it.

The problem with subsidies is that they are almost always not talked about and, therefore, come as a surprise to the folks who end up paying for them. Let’s not be surprised.

How good are these numbers? They are the best available because there aren’t any other numbers. So when the question is asked, the answer is $1.5 million until someone comes up with a better one.

This story was originally published June 1, 2017 at 1:33 PM with the headline "Be up front about Hilton Head arts venue subsidies."