Charlotte County is asking the public how its cultural center in Port Charlotte should be rebuilt to accommodate their interests and needs.
During Tuesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting, county Facilities Director Travis Perdue said a survey was to be sent to the community, asking what it wants to see at the Cultural Center of Charlotte County once it is rebuilt.
The online survey went out Wednesday, and responses must be submitted by Oct. 19.
“We’ve got to get community input. This is not going to be an overnight success,” Commissioner Chris Constance said.
The Cultural Center of Charlotte County closed in November 2021, when the nonprofit running the center, which has been a mainstay in the county for more than six decades, ran out of money.
At that time, the cultural center’s board asked the county for $300,000 to continue running it, but the county declined, and the doors were shut.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a dramatic drop in revenue and activities.
Public outcry caused the county to consider taking over the venue. Then Hurricane Ian hit last year and caused damage to some parts of the building that were beyond repair.
Currently, the building isn’t safe for occupancy in most parts, Perdue said.
Constance said he seeks a monthly update on the cultural center’s progress moving forward.
Commissioner Joe Tiseo said a lot of the spatial design will be decided by the public. “That campus will be a direct correlation of public input and what we’re going to do there,” he said.
While Port Charlotte Public Library remains on the same campus as the cultural center on Aaron Street, the rest of the complex, including the theater, which was heavily damaged, remains empty.
For many years, the cultural center was the hub of activity in the county when venues, such as the Performing Arts Center, Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center, and downtown nightlife were nonexistent.
The center rented the county-owned facility for $1 per year with a 40-year lease that was signed in 2000. Prior to that, the county invested more than $6 million in renovations and an expansion of the facility with a 1% local-option sales tax approved by voters.
Dances, shows, a cafeteria serving low-cost hot meals, classes, card games and shops were just some of the offerings at the venue.
Commissioner Ken Doherty asked County Administrator Hector Flores to provide a 1-minute summary on the cultural center during each commissioners meeting.
In addition to the survey, the county will be holding public charettes on dates that will be advertised, Perdue said.
Also, he said the county will reach out to the business community and Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce.
Depending on what the public decides, the new cultural center could be a one- or two-story building, and the campus might include a farmers market, food trucks, outdoor activities for children, music festivals, adult education, pre-K child care and after-school care, technology, artist, and music spaces, veterans services, social events and community meals, movie and game nights, a library and a portion of the campus could contain affordable housing.
