TORRANCE : Cultural Arts Center Feels Budget Squeeze
Some call the Torrance Cultural Arts Center a white elephant; others see it as proof that culture has come to Torrance, and the City Council is caught in the middle trying to decide how much to spend subsidizing the city-owned center.
City officials say the 3-year-old complex will have a deficit of nearly $800,000 this year. That figure is triple the annual deficit anticipated when the $13-million center was constructed.
Philip S. Tilden, manager of the center, told the City Council at a workshop recently that the greatest drain on the complex comes from Parks and Recreation programs that provide classes for nearly 9,000 people each year.
The center receives no reimbursement from the parks department for air conditioning, lighting and other costs associated with the recreational programs. The loss from the classes accounts for $492,085 of the deficit, Tilden said.
But council members say they remain committed to providing low-cost classes, and they oppose the idea of passing the costs on to those who take adult and youth programs.
The council will review plans to improve the marketing of meeting space to businesses and other plans to cut costs.
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