Appendix F:
Community Meeting Notes
Downtown Vision
What is your vision for downtown
A community
built on family and having a real connection with their neighbors through the
arts; when we open our doors unity can occur to preserve history, education,
and good healthy relationships
Parks, people
friendly, retail
Pedestrian
friendly, a mix of business and housing like a real neighborhood
Excitement/passion,
life going on
The first
place you would think of if you had to meet with a group, etc. is downtown
A place where
you want to meet with your family and friends; an area for walking, an area for
water, an area for a park; keep the peacefulness, don’t bring more traffic
A quaint
downtown area- home, churches, business- not big and full of traffic, not huge
parking lots
Activities
all day- diversity of businesses and public facilities; maintain an outward
“small town” feel- but provide “behind the scenes” vibe
Friendly,
exciting, vibrant, people, arts, sculptures, cafes, bistros, galleries, greens,
and flowers
Downtown
cultural arts district with major elements- Paige Walker, library, Cary
Elementary (performing arts),
A place like
A place to be
able to go out to dinner, walk around, have dessert, and see friends; need to
draw businesses in to do it
Lots of
people walking in the district, a vibrant lively place
Arts Facility Needs
1. What are the most pressing needs that you as a resident have for arts
facilities, including arts education spaces?
§
Visual arts space
§
Indoor space with great
acoustics; visual arts classroom space that is well lit and larger; better
storage for visual arts classes
§
A bigger art center with more
rooms- space for more studios for artists to meet and work together
§
Performing arts spaces
§
Space for classes, workshops
to teach art for adults and kids
§
We need a performing center
§
A performing arts center with
at least 2 venues, one larger (250 or more) and one smaller (100) so that
various productions could take place in parallel
§
A place that can have a lot of
classes at the same time- lots of mothers ask to have a class while their child
is in a class, but Jordan Hall doesn’t have enough classrooms
§
Performing arts
§
Space for visiting artists to
instruct
§
Pottery classes, graduations
§
We need a center that will
incorporate the needs of all artists- painter, performer, pottery maker, etc.; a
gallery area; a tracking area
§
A studio/gallery for the visual
arts
§
Studios for fine/visual arts
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Recital hall up to 150 seats,
meeting room up to 50 seats for monthly meetings (CAPTA)
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Photography classes including
film development
§
We do have the
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Video game store, strawberry
fields
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Performing arts center
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Permanent facility for live
theater with artistic and technical trappings and amenities, like Raleigh
Theater
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Diversity of art education
|
§
Private and public
performances (theater, dance, singing), studios, classes, galleries,
children’s museum §
Performing arts center for
approximately 1,000 people §
Large visual arts center, more
class space §
Studio space for visual
artists (similar to Artspace in §
An art center- can have more
tracking with the art program; Jordan Hall doesn’t have enough classrooms |
§
We, visual artists, need more room
to take lessons and to hang our work
§
Space, never enough time and
space, location central to
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Ceramic arts needs to grow;
check out
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We have children interested in
theater- need the right spaces
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Location for dance class and
fitness classes
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Even if a larger facility is in
a long range plan, even a smaller “black box” theater could be put to good use
by the community performing art groups, and double as visual arts facility when
not being used for shows or rehearsals
§
Team with local artists to teach
multimedia arts
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An indoor performing arts space
other than the Koka Booth Amphitheatre and Sertoma Amphitheatre in Bond Park (both outside); there is no
facility in
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Small to medium equipped stage,
400-500 seats, with backstage support and rehearsal class spaces
§
Theatre for performing and
teaching
§
Lack of facility, cost to rent
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How about some vocational arts?
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Larger ceramic arts studios with
separate studio for classes
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My wife is an artist and is
looking for “art space” in downtown
§
§
Miniature dollhouse gallery – it
will attract tourists
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Expansion of
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We need more space for artists
to have painting classes and shows
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Need for smaller venues for
private music, dances, arts instructors to hold recitals/exhibitions for less
than 50 students
2. What type of cultural activities and programs would you be
most interested in attending in
|
Studio
space for visual artists, art education for all ages, exhibitions for local
artists |
Kid’s
programs- music theater |
|
Need an
indoor exhibition center that has sufficient/ proper spot lighting for 3-D
artworks and to small to large size sculptors |
Community
Theater for all types of people, no age barriers |
|
Affordable
and quality theatre for all ages |
Music,
ballet, theater |
|
Adult and
family theater |
I would be
interested in more African-American cultural activities |
|
Visual
arts, fine arts |
Plays,
concerts |
|
Multi-cultural-
Hispanic, African-American, Asian, Indian, and other ethnic groups in |
Ceramics
with gas firing and wood firing, photography |
|
Live jazz,
poetry readings |
Music,
lectures, plays |
|
Dramatic |
Mini golf
course |
|
Arts involving
those with physical and mental limitations or learning |
Theater
presentations similar to Raleigh Little Theater, art exhibits, art and
theater education classes |
|
Visual,
dramatic musical (choral) events |
All kinds |
|
Concerts,
musicals, plays that we didn’t have to go to |
Studio
tours and gallery open houses |
|
Theater-
large and small shows |
Plays |
|
Plays,
music concerts, arts and crafts |
Visual
arts, performing arts, and classes for both of the above |
|
Places to
get together for meetings and projects |
Give music
venue for local bands |
|
Plays,
performances, meeting place, recitals, etc. |
Painting,
drawing, and other art classes |
|
Ceramics |
Community
theater- children and adult, music programs, show independent films |
|
Multi-discipline-
dance, music, theater, etc. |
Plays,
movie theaters |
|
Big visual
arts center located in a park |
Theaters,
dance, musicals |
|
Theater |
A
“downtown” full service art orienting facility for visual and performing arts |
|
Performance
arts- theater, dancers, kids; artist studios, classes |
|
3. How do you rate the importance of a major visual and performing arts
center in downtown
High- 41
Outside of
downtown
As long as it
is available to local performing art groups
Need follow
through
For all ages
and backgrounds
Need more
people drawn to downtown
For a
community the size of
Up to now
non-existent
Long overdue
For
performing
Need indoor
performance space
For
performance
Big visual
arts center outside in a park
Medium- 5
For visual
It would be a
reason to stay in downtown
Low- 6
In downtown
Have lots of
great venues, nearly
It would
bring too much traffic- it might be better in some other place
“art hungry” town here
4. What would be the benefit of having a major visual arts and
performing arts center in downtown
§
Downtown nightlife, culture,
quality of life; need to have the parking
§
Would become the heart of the
town
§
Community would feel cultural
experiences, for residents, money for the town,
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Easy to find, add to the
central identity
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Bring community together,
provide space for people to perform, keep people in town, and help D.T. Brisner
§
Not much
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Keep the money in
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Increased commercial activity
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Beautify downtown
§
§
Bring people into downtown
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Provide a reason to have
people downtown in the evenings- higher safety factor
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Bring
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Not having to travel to
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Bring people into downtown for
love of business
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An image for
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Local talent can be
highlighted, drive people to downtown area
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Attract businesses and people
to downtown, community image/pride
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A “catalyst” for the
acceleration of
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There
would be something to do downtown - provided it doesn’t close at
§
It would be an excellent venue
in downtown
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It would bring people
downtown, make it more interesting, and help businesses
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Plays don’t have to go to
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In addition to local arts
groups, a venue could draw various performers in the winter months when outdoor
venues cannot be used. Bringing a draw to downtown (for businesses) and
starting to establish an ongoing reason to visit the downtown area
§
Restaurants, retail, coffee
shops, florists- all perfect when there is a cultural draw more families could
participate
§
Might help businesses
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Something whimsical to delight
children and adults alike; a miniature dollhouse museum, such a center would
help bring businesses to town and would enrich the lives of people in town
Park & Open Space Needs
How do you rate the importance of a park and/or greenspace
in downtown
High- 21
§
Keep it mostly open
§
As long as it is done right
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Definitely parks with space
for a bandstand in downtown
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The quality of open space
§
Done with good design, not
like a parking deck or town hall campus
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Urban park/plaza, not a
regular park- low arts focus, no playground
Medium- 7
§
But not at homeowner’s expense
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There are nice places not far
from downtown area, but a small botanical garden downtown would be good
§
If designed well
Medium to
Low- 2
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Don’t need open playfields
Low- 2
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Small only
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Too much traffic
2. What type of amenities do you envision in a downtown park?
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Rose garden, botanical garden,
greenways
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Furnished park similar to
“Kids Together” or
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Jogger or walker friendly
(long trails), pond with wildlife (ducks); park benches, walking trails;
botanical garden; move bandstand and have concerts regularly (community type)
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Water park (it’s hot here);
all kinds of art- abstract too; place for teens
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Concerned about walking access
to the park given the current traffic volume on
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Art to reflect “heart” of
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Flower garden walks, acting
spot, water
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Similar park to “Kids
Together” to draw mothers and children; Frisbee/golf to draw teenagers and
young adults- this would be a big draw to the area
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Sculptures, cultural arts
center
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