BUENA PARK : Arts Facility Delay Laid to City Deficits
Budget deficits that are expected to run through 1994 are responsible for Buena Park’s reluctance to fund a new arts facility, the City Council told the Fine Arts Commission on Monday.
For 10 years, the commission has been attempting to persuade the council to build a new facility and has recently taken a stand that the site should be included in a renovation of the Civic Center on Beach Boulevard.
Revealing the city’s projections did little to persuade commission members that the project should be delayed.
“Fish or cut bait,” said Mary Kramer, the newest member of the commission. “We can raise the funds ourselves, if you’d just make a decision.”
Mayor Donna L. Chessen responded by saying that no decision could be made immediately, but added: “We do realize the importance of the arts. I have defended the arts center to citizens who don’t agree with the need for it.”
Chessen explained that the City Council was committed to the project, but it was just a matter of timing.
The deficit is primarily a result of scheduled pay raises for city employees negotiated last year.
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