It is my perception that the City should retain the 500 seat auditorium for the following reasons.
Extra parking spaces can easily be added in the upper grassy knoll area to provide the necessary parking spaces to permit a 500 seat auditorium. Since the current system at the new building to manage the sewage processing is already inadequate and the incoming City personnel will overload the system, it needs to be upgraded anyway, which will solve the 500 seat auditorium sewage processing requirements.
Eliminating 250 seats is an irresponsible destruction of a world class performance concert hall that has proven numerous times to be very profitable in nonprofit fundraiser concerts bringing in $100K in one evening. Certain types of global webcasting events could generate in the tens of millions of dollars within one week. For example, a Paul McCartney, Elton John, Sting fundraiser concert for World Peace attended by President Obama could generate $100 million in one day.
According to acoustic design experts and well-know producers who know the space, the reduction of the theater in size in shape will entirely ruin the acoustics of the space and not allow musical events any more. Further, the necessary space to maneuver cameras and equipment will be gone as well, thus making any TV or video production no longer possible.
Cary O’Neal