Thornton mulls upgrades to rec center, museum

BY LUKE ZARZECKI LZARZECKI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

ornton has big plans to add to its ne arts programming, with an upgrade to the Margaret Carpenter Recreation Center and the Ken Freiberg Fire Museum, as well as a possible new theater.

City councilors received a brie ng on the rec center and the re museum at the Feb. 21 planning session meeting, and on the performing arts center at the Jan. 31 planning session meeting.

“I nd the numbers encouraging in terms of the support for the Arts center and considering a tax increase,” said City Councilor Kathy Henson at the Jan. 31 planning session meeting.

Performing arts center

Council directed city sta to continue to consider details about what should be included in a new performing arts center.

A September of 2022 survey of 607 residents found that 63% are interested in a performing arts center and 57% are interested in ornton having its own center. However, fewer want to pay for it, with only 47% in favor of a 0.15% increase in sales tax to fund it.

Other communities have theaters, including Northglenn, Broom eld, Lakewood and Lone Tree.

Of those in favor of a center, 87% said they want to attend local concerts, 72% said they want to support the arts, 54% said ornton needs a performing arts center and 38% said the cost is negligible.

Of those against, 69% said they don’t want a tax increase, 52% said it’s bad timing with the current economy, 45% think it’s unnecessary and 39% say the cost is too high.

Costs to consider e decision to increase taxes would go as a ballot initiative. Whether the council will put one on the next ballot is still up in the air. e idea of a new theater isn’t new. Henson brought up the idea at a Jan. 4, 2022 planning session meeting, and Mary Welsch, a past president of TASHCO, said they began talking in 2000. ere have been studies, too. Consultants Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture and the City of ornton completed one study in 2018 and Victus Advisors completed another in 2019.

For a 300-seat theater, the city would need to pay somewhere between $535,000 and $1,350,000 to subsidize it, with an increase in the sales tax rate of between 0.06% and 0.10%.

For a 500-seat theater, the subsidy would be between $1,650,000 and $1,800,000 with a tax increase between 0.11% and 0.14%.

Assistant City Manager Robb Kolstad talked about how there is often a nite amount of increases a city can make for sales taxes, and for the council to consider the opportunity cost for raising the sales tax for the theater instead of something else.

“It precludes you from raising sales tax down the line,” said Kolstad.

At the Jan. 31 meeting, sta noted location plays a big role in whether the city will need to purchase land or not.

In previous reports, they list four spots: Grant St. by Brittany Hill, Colorado and Riverdale Rd., Community Center Park and the Shopping Center at 88th and Washington.

“Site #5 at 88th Ave and Washington St. was evaluated as the most promising site due to its location in an established commercial area of the City with good transportation access, restaurant adjacency, proximate utilities, and little site preparation costs,” the report says.

Cultural o erings

For the museum and stage, the plan is to increase musical and entertainment o erings over time, build infrastructure improvements and add a stage with a canopy. e city would begin with things like parking lot improvements and pedestrian pathways and slowly move forward.

To help gain a taste of what the community is yearning for, the city plans to hold community meetings. e Fire Museum will be updated to city code and will improve outdoor signage, museum programming and displays.