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17.5M for Pike Arts Center
Will Birmelin stand in its way?

By PAT CAMUSO

MILFORD — The proposed Keystone Center for Music and the Arts took a giant leap toward becoming a reality when state lawmakers in Harrisburg took final action on the state's $500 million "Revitalization Assistance Act" on Wednesday, February 3.

A large portion of the money, $320 million, will help fund the construction of four new state-of-the-art sports stadiums, two in Pittsburgh and two in Philadelphia, in the form of "low interest loans," which is why this legislation is known as the "stadium bill."

With the help of State Senator Charles Lemmond, the arts center originally sought $7.5 million grant from the state towards the $35 million project. Discussions between supporters of the Keystone Center and representatives of the Governor increased that figure by $10 million.

Actualization of the center now relies on raising enough money to match the $17.5 million and the actual appropriation of the money by Governor Tom Ridge.

Davis R. Chant, a director for the Economic Development Council of Northeast Pennsylvania (EDCNP), who is also on the board for the arts center, said, "At this point there is still some financing to be worked out. But if you measured these issues right now, chances of this project going to completion are very, very high, given the fact that provisions for projects of this exact nature are specified in the bill."

Founder of the Keystone Center project, Elliot Rosoff said, "When the state steps up with half of our needed budget for the whole project, that is a tremendous amount of support. With that kind of encouragement, I think others are going to come forward and help us. I will also be talking to several lending institutions in the next week or two."

Rosoff is pleased with the level of community support. "Everybody is pulling for this project and we are not only hopeful that this will happen but we are also very grateful to everybody."

To highlight the scope of the project's support, Rosoff proudly pointed out that the world renowned Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and New York University's Tisch School for the Performing Arts have already agreed to be associated with the center. Preliminary discussions have included other performing groups such as the NY Pops and the NE Pennsylvania Philharmonic Orchestra.

Chant said, "The only real problem that we have right now is that our representative, Jerry Birmelin, voted against the legislation," but "nothing has yet to be finalized. The fate of the project is now in the political court of the Ridge Administration. Birmelin has put us in the position that the only way we are going to get this money is we're going to have to go out and work for it because, as the Governor said, there's not enough money to fund all the proposed projects across the state," Chant said. He theorized that Birmelin's on-going opposition to the bill may effect the political process and actual appropriation of the money. "Someone will get this money but our representative in Harrisburg voted against it, even though the money is there," Chant added.

Ridge Administration spokesman, Steve Aaron said, "When you have $3 billion in proposed projects and only $300 million to go around it makes it too early to comment on who gets what." Yet Aaron added that Senator Lemmond has always been a friend to the administration and "a great intermediary in this process".

Birmelin was unavailable for comment but is on the record as a strict opponent of the stadium bill and the use of taxpayer's money to fund "entertainment projects."

Chant explained that the taxpayers who will benefit most by this project. "Last Thursday, at the monthly meeting of the EDCNP, there was a resolution that said from an economical, cultural, and an educational standpoint, this project is one of the greatest things to happen in Pennsylvania in the last 50 years."

Rosoff said that Birmelin toured the project site and is very much for the project, but he is against public funding. "I don't think that his vote is going to make or break the project — at least I hope not. The Governor himself is "very much for the Keystone project and that Senator Lemmond is very excited. We had a standing ovation before the senate when we were introduced," he concluded.

With this preliminary state victory, Rosoff is turning his attention to the local political arena. "We're meeting with the commissioners and we're hopeful that they are going to come aboard. They've always supported the project but I believe that now they will see the project in even a better light since the state has come forth with such support and I'm hopeful that they [the county commissioners] will now support the project in a financial way."