Those that love this idea should donate money to the group. The building should be rented out at a great rate to anyone willing to pay rent. The food bank wanted to rent it along with a few others. It not fair to pay a special group with taxes we collect. They are playing with our money.

I won’t dare say anything as that would hurt my business even more.
Sadly Sedona is not business friendly.

But your right Gloria

These nimrods complainers here don’t use the pool parks library or whatever…They can’t get off their computor writing hate letters or stop watching Fox News..

The same as Bodacious Burger and the original Hideaway Restaurant and possibly other legitimate Sedona businesses, forced to lock their doors in deference to City of Sedona funding competitive non-profits, seems to have become the current trend. And on the other hand isn’t spending thousands of dollars and even advertising for a professional to guide this city on the principals of “economic development” counter productive to financially supporting non-profits? Go figure.

It became blurry during the council meeting whether the deal for the new contract will be for two or three years. Is it possible the “three years” mentioned was inclusive of the first year of the contract? At any rate, $38,000 plus another $14,000 or so brings the city to forking out a tidy sum of around $50,000 – exceeding the annual income of at least some Sedona residents struggling to live within their own budgets as they see precious public revenue continued to be frittered away on non-essentials. Wouldn’t it be lovely if we could all manage our budgets that way? Avoid trivialities like house payments, insurance, taxes, utility bills, etc. and pack it up, take a cruise, or luxuriate in other pipe dreams that will never become reality?

That’s the operative word here: REALITY.

I agree Gloria, just wait until you see the city of Sedona Football Stadium, Baseball Stadium and NASCAR track. After all “We are a community of many different types of people shouldn’t the city provide a bit of enjoyment for all of them?”

I bet Gloria, like me you do not pay any Sedona City taxes.

Don’t you just love how Sedona Recycles places recycling bins all over the Verde Valley?

I love those Sedona taxpayers.

When did it become a city job to pay for every Tom, Dick and Harry artistic venues?

The city it hurting places like sound bites, relics & the wine place. The restaurants & hotels have entertainment. Da da da……You are padding your pockets. Dumbest council ever. Taking business from those that PAY. Retarded.

Conveniently this council sees fit to do the same as the last – tie up “service” contracts for future years so that newly elected members are inhibited from making important decisions once they take office.

Struggling businesses offering nightlife experiences such as their own form of performing arts are now faced with competition from a city financed venue? How fair is that? Sure, the speakers at the meeting were passionate with good intentions and deserving of recognition, but at the expense of public funding it becomes questionable when it flies in the face of the tax base itself – Relics, Soundbites, Vino DiSedona, and others. There was another venue on Coffee Pot Rd, Studio Live I believe it was called, a musician’s collaboration of a sort that was also forced out of business because of high sewer rates. How must those good people now feel when this city so blatantly and once again shows favoritism by selective funding for their own pet projects?

To attack others, Ms. Richards, for expressing frustration and even fear of being priced out of Sedona is unfortunate. As an artist your lack of compassion for those who are being financially abused does not portray a very pretty picture.

Lust for greed and power continues to consume the alleged economic engine driving Sedona which makes the current pursuit for “economic development” amount to nothing more than a slap in the face to existing struggling businesses that remain abused by this uncaring system.

The cIty of Sedona should focus on the job of infrastructure. It NOT about friends & specials interests.

We ALL love the arts. Just sayin what the fu– does a city have to do with PAYING ARTISTS? Those that SUPPORT it can contribute.

How sad for you Joan if you think that only a small few in the town are artists. In fact there are thousands of us who range from young to old. It was said last night at the council meeting that this city is animated by the arts and by providing us this little venue, they are putting their money where their mouths are.

Joan, do you go to the library to read books??? If you do then you should know that the city pays money to fund the library. Are you against that? I don’t know if you have children and if you do, do they use the community pool? Who do you think pays for that pool? We are a community of many different types of people shouldn’t the city provide a bit of enjoyment for all of them?

After reading your posting above it seems that you have so much negative energy against everything except what you like or want, that can’t be a very good feeling in a town as giving as Sedona. Sad just very sad.

Namaste

Silly question. Of course. Those dealing the cards are the magnificent six – who obviously go to whichever staff member(s) necessary and tell them something like: “OK, here’s the deal. This is what we want – increase funds here, there, everywhere (such as for Red Earth Theatre, Chamber of Commerce, Main Street, Marathon, Film Festival, blah, blah blah – everything but “infrastructure”) with the caveat “Make it happened!”

What other explanation could there be?