WILLIAMSBURG — Members of the city’s performing arts community gave a round of applause earlier this week as the city took a step forward to making dreams of a performing arts venue a reality.
During a meeting at the Stryker Center on Monday, Williamsburg City Council voted unanimously to approve Tourism Development Grant funding recommendations for the 2024 fiscal year, which includes $100,000 for a 53,000-square-foot multipurpose performance center at the same location as the regional sports complex.
Funding for the venue also includes $100,000 of funding in fiscal year 2025 and $1 million for each subsequent year until the debt service is complete. The city previously allocated $5 million in federal American Rescue Plan funds for the venue.
Several representatives from the performing arts community spoke before the council to lend their support for a new performance venue during the open forum.
Jon Krapfl, who represented the Performance Venue Group, a coalition of members and advocates of 27 local arts and cultural organizations, said that the group would like to “thank those of you who are considering this as a possibility for our city.”
“Our performance venue group would be happy to support and assist in any way possible in this effort,” added Krapfl, who also serves as vice chair of the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra’s board of trustees.
Local performing arts groups have been raising concerns about the lack of available performance space in the city for years, an issue further exacerbated by the renovations to William & Mary’s Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall, which put the space out of commission for a number of years. The building, which is part of the university’s new Arts Quarter, reopened in August. The Arts Quarter was dedicated by William & Mary alumna Glenn Close in October.
Carolyn Keurajian, president and CEO of the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra, also spoke in support of the new performance venue.
“We’re getting the name out for our city, but we do need a dedicated place to perform,” Keurajian said. “As much as we love our churches, and they’ve been so kind to us, we really need a space that’s open to everyone.”
A dedicated performance venue “would be something very special for us,” she continued. “This live performance venue really could be a place for music and artistic expression, and a place that can really impact the lives of our residents, and a special place for tourists to experience the magic of our wonderful city.”
Other funding items include $316,000 for the African American Heritage Trail, plus an additional $200,000 in fiscal year 2025; $500,000 for the Colonial Williamsburg Arrivals Center, plus $500,000 in fiscal year 2025; $250,000 for improvements to First Baptist Church; $35,000 for enhancements in the gallery in the Stryker Center; $425,000 for phases 2 and 3 of the Wayfinding Master Plan; and $100,000 for phase 4 of the Wayfinding Master Plan.
The fund itself came about in July 2018, when a Senate bill introduced a 1% increase in sales tax for the city, James City County and York County. The different localities determine what to do with those funds. For the city, a portion of the funds is put into the Tourism Development Fund, which is designed to increase patronage to restaurants, attractions, hotels and events in the city.
The first round of recommendations was made in 2019. Five projects were approved for funding, including the fourth lighted softball field at Kiwanis Park, which is nearing completion, plus in-progress projects, such as new furniture for City Square Plaza, the indoor sports complex and more.
Plans for the exterior design of Williamsburg’s future 200,000-square-foot regional sports complex went before the Architectural Review Board in October for a conceptual review, which is just one part of a multi-layered process for the complex to get underway. The facility will ultimately require final approval from Williamsburg, James City County and York County.
In other business Monday, council members identified two actions from the Truth and Reconciliation report’s recommendations for the city to advance over the next year.
Council members pointed to hiring a diversity, equity and inclusion consultant and offering student scholarships as two important starting points for the city’s DEI efforts.
“I think that affords us the opportunity to look inward into the organization to make sure that we are doing everything that we can to be responsible to all of our citizens,” Mayor Doug Pons said. “I think that’s an important step. They can dig into all the ordinances and codes and whatever needs to be looked at to make sure that we are being responsible to everybody.”
Previously, city staff laid out seven potential steps for the council to consider at a Sep. 11 work session, including hiring the DEI consultant and advancing the African American Heritage Trail investment plan.
During discussions, council members pointed out that efforts toward the African American Heritage Trail are already underway, with the trail receiving funding from the Tourism Development Grant.
The Truth and Reconciliation Committee was formed in 2021 to study the impact of racism and racial injustice on Williamsburg residents, interviewing residents and members of the descendant community. The committee presented its report to the council in July.
Sian Wilkerson, 757-342-6616, [email protected]