http://radio.woai.com/cc-common/news...rticle=2886683
Council Supports Venue Tax for Performing Arts Center
Municipal Auditorium seen as favored site
By Jim Forsyth
Monday, November 5, 2007
San Antonio City Council today went on record urging that the venue tax used to build the AT&T Center be used to turn the 1925-vintage Municipal Auditorium into a Performing Arts Center, 1200 WOAI's Bud Little reports.
"It's an underutilized building and it's a beautiful building," Hardberger said about the Municipal Auditorium, which once hosted the city's most prestigious events but has since been bypassed in favor of more modern facilities like the Alamodome, the AT&T Center, and the Lila Cockrell Theater.
The Performing Arts Center, which would cost about $75 million, would be the home to the San Antonio Symphony, Opera San Antonio, and other arts groups. It would also host touring Broadway shows, concerts, and events as diverse as high school performances and college graduations. San Antonio is the largest city in the country without a performing arts center.
There was no dispute on the council about the need for a performing arts center, but some council members argued in favor of building it at other locations. Councilwoman Lourdes Galvan said she favored a new facility built at the site of the old Lone Star Brewery.
"I think that location is prime because it sits right on the river reach to the San Antonio Missions,"Galvan said.
Another potential site was Hemisfair Plaza.
The recommendation now goes to Bexar County Commissioners, who will make the final decision on what proposals to place on a venue tax ballot, probably in May.