Changes could be coming to the Harlem Civic Center.
The Harlem City Council discussed the civic center, located at 375 N. Louisville St., during the city council quarterly work session Friday, Feb. 24. Mayor Roxanne Whitaker said members of the Harlem Arts Council, which is housed at the Harlem Civic Center, presented some needs to the council last month and are asking for some variances for what they can do with the building.
“I think it’s a good program, is the only arts council in Columbia County,” Whitaker said. “But the question comes back, what are we expecting from the arts council?”
Council Member John Thigpen said the arts council is getting a lot for “nothing.”
“They’re not paying rent, they’re not paying utilities, they’re charging for their services, they’re selling art objects up there, they’re making percentages on that, yet they still come to us wanting our support,” Thigpen said. “I don’t know how you can support that council or that program as much as we’ve supported it.”
MORE: Tyrique Robinson’s mentor tries to administer his estate
Thigpen suggested giving the arts council until Dec. 31 to vacate the building and then the city decide what to do with the building that would benefit the entire community.
“I think we need to take back control of our building and put it to use where it benefits the citizens, and right now the citizens are having to pay for everything they do up there,” Thigpen said. “There’s no free anything like it was originally intended.”
The building was gifted to the city, and there are stipulations on what it can be used for, said City Attorney Adam Nelson.
“To attach a building, place a bronze placard on the building for indicating the name of the building and then finally granting further convenance and agrees to lease at least one half of such building one the premises for the establishment of a library and the remaining port of such building for city offices,” are the stipulations, according to Nelson.
The building is considered a library annex during the construction of the new library, Nelson said.
The Harlem Arts Council is in part of the building and the other half if available for rent. Whitaker asked if there are people that want to rent the facility and City Manager Debra Moore said there have been people in the past and a church had rented the space in the back for several months.
MORE:
The idea of the arts council paying rent and being allowed to continue to use the building was also mentioned. Whitaker asked if there are other organizations that pay rent to use city buildings, and Moore said yes.
Moore said the agreement with the Harlem Arts Council is they can use the front area for free, but if they use the back area, they are supposed to rent it from the city.
Council Member Daniel Bellavance asked if the arts council is open all week or just certain times.
“If it’s staying empty it’s not doing good anyway,” Bellavance said.
According to the Harlem Arts Council Facebook, they are open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“If it’s the Harlem Civic Center, which we refer to it as, then it should benefit everyone in the city some type of way and that’s what the purpose of the arts council was in the beginning was to introduce arts to children and get them interested in all that kind of stuff,” Thigpen said. “Now it’s not being used that way and it’s transitioned into something else. I think the building can still be used, meet the covenant requirements and benefits all of Harlem.
Whitaker said she asked the arts council to send the city council their revenue and expenditure report, along with their budget.
Because the meeting was a work session no action was taken.
