The Cumberland County Civic Center is in a tough spot.
It is clear that the 34-year-old building is in need of an upgrade. The inside concourse is cramped, creating problems at well-attended events in both the bathroom and concession areas. There is no club seating of the kind available at similar-sized venues. Behind the scenes, the locker rooms are too small, and the single loading dock is not enough to handle many acts. In addition, the outside architecture is unattractive and out of date, and it offers no street-level entry.
Driving home the point is a study commissioned by the civic center that was presented earlier this year showing that it would lose 10 annual events and around $460,000 in revenue by 2016 if nothing is done.
Now, a $33 million bond to fund a plan addressing those problems appears on the Nov. 8 countywide ballot at a time when a struggling economy and aversion to public debt make the renovation a hard sell. Many residents, particularly those who live and work outside of Portland, are wondering if the county should be in the entertainment business at all, or if at least the civic center should be moved to a location that would better benefit the county as a whole.
“This is totally the wrong time to increase taxes so people can be more comfortable going to hockey games,” said David Canarie, a South Portland attorney opposed to the renovations.
It is an understandable position, given that the most direct and obvious benefits – thousands of people attracted to the city by sporting events, ice shows and concerts – belong to Portland. The case for the renovations certainly becomes thinner the further you travel from downtown Portland.
But it is hard to argue that the civic center is not an economic engine for the region. In just one example of its impact, Dan Steele, owner of a pub and restaurant near the civic center, said nearby events play a significant role in making him one of the biggest customers of Gorham-based Nappi Distributors. In addition, eight of his 23 employees are from outside of Portland.
“My top wage earner is from Windham,” Steele said. “So the idea that this is all about Portland, making a few businesses wealthy and nothing else, is just plain wrong.”
And while opponents of the bond have suggested selling the civic center so it can be run as a private enterprise, there has reportedly been little interest. So it appears that rejecting the plan would simply leave the civic center to bleed out.
On the other hand, approving the renovation would maintain the civic center as a venue unique to southern Maine, giving the building the boost it needs to attract larger, better acts to entertain county residents and support local businesses in the process. With historically low interest rates and the debt for the county jail about to be paid off, this in fact appears to be the right time to approve the referendum.
Ben Bragdon is the managing editor of Current Publishing. He can be reached at bbragdon@keepmecurrent.com or followed on Twitter.
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