HOOVER, Ala. (WBRC) – The Hoover City Council voted Monday night to reallocate millions of dollars in bond money from a proposed performing arts center to capital needs and projects, including the sewer system.
The conversation between the mayor, the city council, and Hoover residents lasted more than an hour and a half.
Hoover received a $17 million bond about two years ago they dedicated to creating a performing arts center. Mayor Frank Brocato says the city is 12 months away from the bond compliance window ending, meaning the city loses the ability to use the money.
Because there is no fleshed-out plan for the performing arts center at the moment, the mayor says they can’t utilize the $17 million in the adequate timeframe. So they don’t lose the money completely, the mayor wants to put $6 million toward the critical needs of the sewer system and the rest toward long-term capital projects.
Hoover residents say city leaders have been making promises about the performing arts center for decades and they don’t want to lose the project fund.
Hoover resident Tracy True Dismukes says at this point, a promise is not enough. She wants to see action.
“Between the athletics in the City of Hoover and the arts, it feels like the age-old story from high school, of the athletes pulling the band kid,” said Dismukes. “Tonight, I’m here to speak up for the band kid — and the singers, and the actors, and the artists, and performers — that keep being pushed aside.”
Liz Lane is a professional visual artist who is also running for Hoover City Council. She says the arts should be a priority because they change the trajectory of people’s futures.
“The arts saved my life,” said Lane. “If I had not had access to music, to choir, to painting, I don’t know where I would be. And it breaks my heart to know that there are kids in our community that do not have adequate access to the arts.”
The mayor, along with city council members, agreed they want to stick to their word and pull money for the performing arts center from somewhere else.
There was a lot of conversation around how large Hoover’s reserve fund is right now, so at the next council meeting April 21, they’ll discuss possibly lowering it and using $17 million of the reserve dollars for the performing arts center fund.
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