SU proposes $100M performing arts center in downtown Salisbury
SALISBURY, Md – Wednesday, Salisbury University officially unveiled an ambitious plan to build a brand new performing arts center in downtown Salisbury.
Presented to the Wicomico County Council on Tuesday, May 7th, the $100 million proposal is spearheaded by SU, in partnership with the Wicomico County Public Library. Those involved say the project would have massive implications for the greater community.
It’s been painted as a ‘win-win’ by those behind it, but who exactly is winning? With the project location proposed for the current downtown Salisbury branch of the Wicomico Public Library, SU Chief of Staff Eli Modlin says that winners include: the community, the university, and also the library.
“I believe that with this deal, this community is getting two major assets. A state of the art library, which I believe will be the nicest in the state of Maryland, and a new performing arts center in the heart of downtown,” said Modlin.
The proposal hinges on an agreement that would allow Salisbury University to utilize the land that the library branch occupies, with the library moving to the currently closed location of the Ward Museum on Schumaker drive. Modlin emphasized that moving the current library–and renovating the Ward Museum–provides significant value to the county: “It also saves the taxpayers in Wicomico County a significant amount of money, because they have access to funds to improve the new library in a way that they would not have, if it was staying in its old location.”
The cost of renovating the existing Paul S. Sarbanes branch of the library has been estimated between $15 million and $30 million.
Wicomico County would have to foot the $8 million bill for renovating the Ward Museum location–notably including the replacement of the HVAC system, the main reason the location was closed in the first place–but the library would be eligible to apply to have up to 84% of that covered by the Maryland State Library Agency’s Capital Grants Program.
Mike Dunn, President and CEO of the Greater Salisbury Committee, said the project would be historic for the area. He compared it to the building of the Delmarva Shorebirds stadium back in the 1990’s. “It’s game changing. You’re looking at 8 to 15 events a year that are going to bring a thousand people to downtown. This truly changes the trajectory of downtown,” said Dunn
The state of the art facility would not just be a theater, it would have classrooms and other spaces available for community use. Modlin and Dunn both said that the center would serve as a cultural and economic magnet–a hub that would attract visitors and performers from all over the country, as well as increasing regular foot traffic from locals and students.
“[This project] will mean economic development for the downtown area and the city as a whole. As we bring in visitors, patrons, who will come to the Performing Arts Center. [They] will eat, dine, and sleep in the area,” Modlin said.
Dunn views this as the perfect opportunity for the City of the Salisbury, especially downtown, to return to the in-demand area that it used to be: “If you go back to when downtown really stopped being a retail hub in the 70s and 80s, we’ve always been looking for the golden ticket, if you will. And this is it.” Dunn continued, saying, “This is the linchpin. It becomes the magnet around parking garages, hotels, conference centers, new residences. It all makes even better sense today. I thought it always made sense, the development and the redevelopment of downtown. Now you’ve got this major hub right there, and so I think it just adds value to all the plans that are put out there relative to the redevelopment of downtown.”
On the county potentially gaining a brand new library as part of the project, Dunn added, “This is a classic example of turning a tough situation into a double win for the community.”
When asked about potential parking plans to handle increased traffic, Eli Modlin noted that SU has existing parking agreements with the city. He said that conversations about accommodating traffic are ongoing as the situation moves forward.
The Wicomico County Council is expected to vote on the proposal at its next meeting. If passed by the county, Salisbury University would then move on to receiving state approval for the project.
