Manatee County should take a starring role with theater project

I am not sure why thinking "outside the box" is a phrase associated with ingenuity when often it refers to an idea that reflects common sense.

The phrase also is used to define a thought that strays from established rules and regulations.

Consider the new theater being built for Rangeland High School, which is in construction in Lakewood Ranch. Conventional thinking would limit such a theater to use by the students, along with school functions.

In today's news story by our reporter Madison Bierl on Page ??? , Associate Superintendent Kevin Chapman said the School District of Manatee County would like to "expand the visual and performing arts footprint in Lakewood Ranch."

Chapman suggested that with another $2.5 million to $4 million, the theater could be built "state-of-the-art."

I have been seeing social media posts that refer to Chapman's suggestion as "outside the box."

To me, it is common sense.

It seems fair for the district to say that it needs monetary help from either the county, or from private donations to expand on its original plan, which is costing $144 million for the entire school. The 800-seat theater would likely function quite well as a school-only facility, so the district's only thought is expanding to help the community.

Now is the time for Manatee County to act because the school district can't slow down. The project needs to be finished by August 2027 to begin the new school year.

It's way late in the planning process, but better late than never. Getting private donations is going to be tough at this point, especially without a dedicated fundraiser to have conversations with the many philanthropic groups in the area.

However, if you have a spare million bucks that you would like to donate, please call the school district immediately.

That pretty much leaves it up to Manatee County to do something special.

Now let's preface all this by saying the timing couldn't be worse. The county is facing an enormous loss of funds if the property tax referendum passes in November. County commissioners are being attacked from all sides for being wasteful in their spending, even if that spending was to fulfill public requests for amenities.

But there are common sense reasons to jump on board for this project.

The Lakewood Ranch area badly needs some kind of theater that could host various activities that can't be presented in the Florida heat. Concerts, plays, shows, lectures, public meetings.

But why should Manatee County need to help?

Well, all the growth in the Lakewood Ranch area has been categorized as a boon for the county, filling its coffers with property taxes. Other areas of the county have amenities that are lacking here.

A theater or an events center would have made sense at Premier Sports Campus North, but that isn't likely to happen now since the planned projects have consumed all the available space.

Here is an answer that should work for everyone.

Think outside the box.

Join the school district in its current theater construction, separating it from the actual school buildings. Expand the project to a 1,500-seat theater (doubling the seating capacity) and then build a parking lot that could accommodate larger crowds.

Forge a deal with the school district in terms of usage that would be friendly to both the students and arts groups that could utilize it.

Instead of donating $4 million to the project, spend $10 million or $15 million.

Yikes! Spend $10 or $15 million on a theater? Yes.

It would have cost the county a lot more to build its own theater at Premier, so this is a bargain. Don't be guilty of shortsightedness, such as happened with the Fort Hamer Bridge, which functioned for about two years before every third grader in the area understood that four lanes were needed instead of two.

If you are going to do it, push the boundaries. Don't try to bring events to a nice high school theater. Instead, you will be having the high school students performing in a state-of-the-art facility that any arts group would be glad to call home.

Try to understand that from the taxpayers' viewpoint, it's all our money even if the county is separate from the school district.

Let's say it again ... it's all our money.

We need county commissioners and school district officials to meet immediately and hammer something out.

It's common sense.

I also will leave you with another common sense idea — which might be thinking outside the box as well. Residents are starting to push back against the construction of an ice arena at Premier.

I don't object to the ice arena in Lakewood Ranch, but I don't like how it was presented to the public.

Perhaps if it was done from upfront, people could have made suggestions about the right location for the area.

How about the Musgrave property (161 acres) that Manatee County purchased in 2020 for $32.5 million.

The property is right up against Interstate 75 for easy access, especially if minor league hockey becomes part of the picture. Icemann Development LLC could have more than the 22 acres it is leasing in Premier.

With consent from Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, the arena could still label itself as a Lakewood Ranch business, even thought it is slightly out of SMR territory. We could be watching the Lakewood Ranch Cranes.

The arena wouldn't be bothering the neighbors, and there are plenty of hotels in that area, along with space to build more.

That would free up the Premier 22 acres for projects that actually would serve the community.

How about that for common sense?