Letter: Put arts campus to a vote
Rather than appoint a committee of Hilton Head islanders, who some or all of the Town Council knows personally, to study the arts campus issue, the matter should be put on the ballot as a question this fall so that the entire island can voice their sentiment towards this proposed endeavor.
The present arts center cannot support itself. It never has raised an endowment large enough, even with all the wealthy people who have homes on the island. Younger people do not have the same views on entertainment and the arts.
I am afraid a few years into the future when many of the current supporters of this die off, future islanders and visitors will support this venue even less than the current arts center.
To compare Hilton Head to Greenville and its venue is ridiculous. According to Wikipedia, the city of Greenville has a population of approximately 62,000. But its “Metropolitan Statistical Area” has a population of 850,000. The Upstate has a population of 1.45 million.
The town and the remaining residents will be stuck with an expensive white elephant, a memorial to what a past council and some influential people once cared about.
George Smith
Hilton Head Island
This story was originally published May 13, 2016 at 10:09 AM with the headline "Letter: Put arts campus to a vote."