By Arianne Aryanpur
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, October 28, 2007

Arts supporters and economic development officials said a vote last week by the Leesburg Town Council has brought the town a step closer toward building the first performing arts center in Loudoun County.

The council voted 5 to 1 to fund a $35,000 study that will explore funding sources and sites in Leesburg for the proposed facility. The study will be conducted by a consultant and is expected to be completed next year.

Sandra Kane, who served on a performing arts task force that the council appointed last year, told council members before Tuesday's vote that a feasibility study is needed if the town is serious about moving forward with the idea.

"The feasibility study doesn't just take into account location and size. It also develops a business plan and helps structure a private foundation" to manage the project, Kane said in an interview after the vote.

For years, arts supporters have said that a performing arts center is sorely lacking in Loudoun. Groups such as the Loudoun Ballet and the Loudoun Symphony Orchestra have had to use auditoriums at local high schools, and choral groups perform only at local churches. The Franklin Park Performing and Visual Arts Center, which is to open soon in Purcellville, will offer additional performance space, but advocates of a Leesburg center say a larger, more centrally located facility will still be needed.

Task force member Ara Bagdasarian, who also sits on the town's economic development commission, said Leesburg is the only town of its size in Virginia without a performing arts center.

"There's nothing in Loudoun County, which is incredible for the size and demographic of the county," he said.

The task force presented a report to the Town Council last month recommending that the center have 1,200 to 1,500 seats to serve local, regional and national performers. In addition to hosting performances, the report said, the center should offer classes and workshops for the community.

Advocates also argue that the center would be an economic boon to the town.

Bagdasarian said the task force has met with three landowners interested in donating undeveloped property for a center. He declined to identify the sites, saying the landowners are not ready to go public with the information, but he said the locations are in or near downtown Leesburg.

If the town secures property, it will still need to find a way to fund the building's construction. The report said that potential funding strategies include forming a public-private partnership, seeking corporate donations and creating an endowment.

The task force noted that renovating a vacant downtown building is another possibility, but several arts supporters have said that option would be too costly and time-consuming.

Bagdasarian said the next step "is to get the feasibility study and bring interested landowners to the table." Kane said the task force will recommend soon that the council create a nonprofit group to manage the project.

Leesburg Mayor Kristen C. Umstattd was the only council member who opposed funding the feasibility study, saying it could be conducted by town staff members instead of a consultant. Council member Fernando "Marty" Martinez was absent from Tuesday's meeting.