Cultural Center Requests 21k for Feasibility Study

The lead item at the top of a packed agenda at Tuesday's committee meetings pertained to the continued development of the Mauldin Cultural Center.

Substantial improvements were made to and the Cultural Center in the last year, but now the facility, led by Executive Director George McLeer, is ready to move to the next level.

The next level involves an overhaul of the auditorium, which would cost an estimated $2 million, all of which would need to be raised privately. McLeer told the committee that he first must know if raising that amount of capital it even plausible. To determine this, he and the Cultural Center Board selected a consulting firm to conduct a feasibility study. The firm, Convergent Nonprofit Solutions, based in Atlanta, would charge the city $21,000 to conduct the study, plus expenses.

Rick Kiernan, who represented Convergent at the meeting, gave a brief presentation to the city council's recreation committee.

Kiernan said the study would last roughly two months and that Convergent would contact 100 potential donors by mail and interview 40-60 of those confidentially.

Kiernan told Patch that the Cultural Center project would be similar in scope to a community center project Convergent executed in Davidson, NC. Kiernan added that all fund-raising opportunities would be on the table, including naming rights for the entire facility and for sections within it.

The recreation committtee approved the request unanimously and it will go to the full council for a vote later this month.

The proposed design for the auditorium can be viewed HERE.

at the Cultural Center sold out and the next show is scheduled for Feb. 17.

In other city council news...

Plans to annex 450 Forrester Drive were unanimously approved.

The city moved forward on an energy management plan as well as annexed property at . The Old Stage Road property was annexed last year.

• Both of these will be voted on by the full city council on Feb. 20.

Van Brannon, head of the Mauldin Rec Department, advised the committee that online registrations to youth sports were increasing. Brannon also confirmed that the would come back to Mauldin the week of June 15th.

Fire Chief Russell Sapp said the new fire station off Bethel Road should be ready to open on Thursday the 9th.

One item that was not sent to full council was a request for funds for a beautification project for the intersection at I-385 and Bridges Road. An estimated $134,000 funds were bring requested to accompany the $400,000 in grant money. The finance committee asked that the motion for the funds be tabled for future discussion. Receipt of the grant money is time-sensitive, but City Administrator Trey Eubanks said that a two-to-three months window for discussion on the issue would not affect the availability of the funds.

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