Back on May 14, 2024, we filed our first PIR related to a performing arts center.  We asked for all the studies and documents related to those reports from consulting groups or third parties like Frisco ISD or Hall Group.   

On May 24, 2024, we got a tip from an inside source and we released breaking news in a Facebook Post that Craig Hall backed out from the Performing Arts Center at Hall Park.  Today we ponder, did he know something about the project, or how the scope of the project was changing that we didn’t at the time?  Possibly, but looking back we think he was a smart man for getting out along with Frisco ISD at the time. 

On May 30, 2024, we received a letter from the city secretary that, due to confidentiality issues, the City has chosen to seek a ruling from the Attorney General regarding a portion of the responsive documents.  We were not surprised!  Now we want you to STOP AND THINK ABOUT … what did they not want the public to see it?  For a city telling you this FCFA project is the cherry on top of the city, why do they continue to delay and withhold information?  As a voter, if that does not concern you, it should!

At the February 7^th City Council Meeting future candidates took to citizens input under Agenda Item 38 (starting at the 2:25:00 mark).

First up, Jared Elad, candidate for City Council Place 4.  Elad stated he had been a resident for 11 years, and he first became aware of this project when he learned the city’s partnership with Frisco ISD fell through due to disagreements over the scope of the project.  Frisco ISD is moving forward with a 55-million-dollar facility as we speak to serve its students. 

Elad stated he was concerned about Frisco residents maintaining and operating this project in perpetuity.  He said it had been stated that this project could cost up to $6 million per year to maintain and he asked the council and the city if they had really done their analysis to make sure it won’t go higher than that?  He finds it even more concerning that we are in a partnership with Prosper ISD, which limits the location options since it will have to be within Prosper ISD boundaries.  He said that boundary limitations will make the project less accessible to most Frisco Residents.  Elad asked why the city was unable to reach an agreement with Frisco ISD, and why it could not have been reworked to serve the Frisco residents better.  Now we are left with not 1 but 2 Frisco Performing Arts Centers that the Frisco residents will have to support. 

Another concern of his was the city signing a letter of intent with Broadway Access – he noted that a letter of intent is not binding.  Without a signed agreement, there is no guarantee that this partnership will come to fruition.  That could leave Frisco residents with a facility to maintain and a facility that won’t meet its projected potential revenue.  Elad went on to say it has been reported that the Dallas Performing Arts Center is struggling financially as we speak, due to the pandemic and the nature of consumers’ habits changing. He looked at the council and asked, “What makes us think we can do better?” 

As for the jobs, he said it will only create a minimum number of jobs, other than the construction phase.  While he appreciates the other public-private partnerships like The Star and Frisco PGA, he believes this one will go too far with the potential cost burden it will put on Frisco residents.  He closed, asking the council to reconsider the priorities for Frisco and to make sure we are fiscally responsible.

Next up was Burt Thakur, candidate for City Council Place 2.  He said he absolutely loves the arts, supports the arts, and believes in the power of the arts to change people.  He talked about how when he was in the military, he would use the power of books to transform himself in other places, giving his mind some peace. He said the question of whether we like or support the arts is not what is in front of us at this moment. 

The question before us today is are we being financially responsible, and do we have the right priorities in line.  Are we good stewards of taxpayer dollars?  Thakur went on to say that on Friday the proposed number was $360 million, then a few days later the number was adjusted to $340 million.  Then he pointed out, if you take the graphic in the presentation, that ads up to $380 million.  Why are we being given vague ranges with an 80 million dollar variance for the cost? Where are the specifics?

Thakur brought up his concern regarding the yearly O&M (operational/maintenance) costs potentially facing Frisco residents.  Can we justify this when we, as a city, have other pressing needs that are unfunded?  He also touched on the Frisco ISD theater and said, with one already in progress, how is there not a way to find a potential to combine the two and mitigate risk?  Thakur mentioned how police and fire have all asked for additional staffing, which costs a fraction of the yearly operational costs, yet the city can’t find the money for that.  We don’t have a proper animal shelter, nor do we have a building for our Veterans. We need a space for the local VFW and other Veteran organizations to meet.  Thakur said he loves the arts, but he believes in responsible governance, and he asked the council to work smarter, take a step back, and make sure we are funding our needs first.  Thakur closed with; We owe it to the people of Frisco to prioritize wisely.

Next up Josh Meek, candidate for City Council Place 4.  Meek started by voicing his support agenda item 38 & 39.  With the amount of time, money and resources invested in this project we need to reach an answer.  He then said that answer needs to come from no one else but Frisco citizens. He hopes that the council allows citizens to vote sooner, rather than later because prolonging it could have increased costs.  

Meek went on to say Frisco is ultimately a destination location and he thinks that it would be a far, far oversight to not explore the potential we have when it comes to partnering with Broadway.  Meek said he has two boys and when Hamilton came out, they looked at traveling halfway across the country to have that experience so why would he not allow this to be in his own backyard.  When you start to break it down a big part of what has made us successful is that we have created these areas for people to visit and experience.  He believes that this should go to the ballot.  He said we have four districts that cover Frisco so while many are asking why we not partnered with Frisco ISD, maybe we should be asking why we have not partnered with the other ISDs and should we more in the future (Lewisville ISD, Little Elm ISD, Prosper ISD).  Meek said he is on the CDC Board, and he has had the opportunity to see the benefits we will have from this.

Besides the council meeting we got an email from another candidate, Jerry Spencer, candidate for Frisco City Council Place 4.  He wrote; I am opposed to the Arts Center in its current form. I especially do not like taking money from economic development and community development. I want to get away from this sports/tourism obsession and go after emerging technology/medical research, etc., with the sales tax money. Instead of Sport City USA, we need to re-brand ourselves Brain City USA! I have no problem with a REGIONAL Arts Center. Let’s do one with Plano, McKinney, Allen and Denton. It will take some work, but with effort it can be done. Then, we spread the costs over 1 million people, rather than the 235,000 in Frisco. The per capita costs would come way down.  In closing, my website will be up in a few days

Lastly, while he is not running now he did run in 2024, we want to recognize that John Redmond spoke at the council meeting in early February.  He said, in theory, he liked the idea of the Performing Arts Center.  However, he feels we have spent tons of bond for a community theater and spent the last focused on a highly commercial, very large-scale performing arts center.  Redmond went on to say he believes these decisions have been made based on the input of a very small select group of people and not based on the voice of Frisco residents.

Whistleblower Opinion Time: While many will say Whistleblower hates the arts, that is simply not true.  My son was in community theater since middle school.  We had to take him to other cities to do community theater shows.  What we support is a community theater venue for our residents and nearby visitors.  We don’t support a monstrosity theater built for Broadway shows and concerts.  I asked my son the other day what do you think about this Broadway thing in Frisco?  He said dad Broadway isn’t just about the performance it is about New York, the lights, the theaters, the city itself creates the experience of Broadway.  Seeing Lion King in Dallas or Fort Worth doesn’t elicit the same response as you traveling to New York and encapsulating the entire experience of Broadway.  We agree with him! 

We appreciate hearing from the candidates because we believe they will be the future of this city.  We believe if residents rise and vote for change, we could see different things coming from the council pulpit.  One thing never escapes us, why did Frisco ISD and Craig Hall backout?  What did they know or what did they see change that they didn’t agree with?  We have analyzed this project in every way we can and a few points keep popping up:

1. Frisco has a lot going on right now with the Frisco PGA, Fields build-out, Universal, Toyota Stadium overhaul, downtown revitalization, Grand Park, and more.  So many of these things have not been finished, and now we are going to start another project. Are we overextending ourselves and soon to hit a bubble of sorts?

2.  Where is the HEART of Frisco?  Every city has an area that is the original heartbeat of the city.  Where is that for Frisco?  We lost the heartbeat of our rich history that dates back to the late 19^th century.  Initially, a railroad stop, and hub for the railway, we lost that cultural historical heritage instead of building around it and putting it into everything we do.  Wouldn’t it be cool if you could take the local railway as our public transportation from downtown up to the PGA for dinner, then over to the theater for dinner? 

It could have been awesome, but instead we just set up a museum to hold pictures of our heritage and how many people actually visit that each year.  The reason some of these cities the Chamber visited on their “Leadership Travel” were so great is because they built around their history.  Instead, Frisco just built over it!

3. The location of PAC being at 380 and the DNT, so it is in Prosper ISD boundaries, which does limit the access to Frisco residents. How could we not have solidified a deal with Craig Hall, who was offering the land as a donation? The land they are proposing we use today for this project was purchased years ago by the city with the intent to sell it one day. Why? They knew it would be worth millions along the 380 / DNT corridor. Taxpayers paid for that land! It was not free to the city! We spent money back then to make money today to help pay off our debt obligations.  

4.  EDC & CDC: Where did that money come from?  Sales Tax!  They want you to believe this is not your money, it’s all those tourists who come here.  Do you grocery shop here, eat here, buy gas here?  If you do, then you are paying for it!

What was it designated for?  Community Development and Economic Development  – it was not originally intended for a Performing Arts Center.  If you read the slide about the Frisco Model vs Venue Management Model you will see the private partners in the sports model operate these partnerships without on-going operational funding from the City.  These are partners like the PGA, Omni, The Cowboys all with strong financial backing.   

In the Frisco Center For Arts model we have no idea who the Private Operator will be.  The financial model is DEPENDENT on overall financial milestones for fundraising.  What happens if the economy goes to crap and people are not donating – who covers that cost then?  You…and me!  It also states the private partner operates with LIITED ON-GOING OPERATIONAL FUNDING from the city.   We agree with the candidates why so VAGUE – where is the CERTAINITY?  Why are you asking us to vote on so many “What If’s?”  Words like dependent, limited, don’t make me feel comfortable.

Lastly, will it deplete the CDC and EDC money for other potential projects?  Okay it brings construction jobs here during development – are you in construction?  It will have a few salary jobs to run the theater but will the hourly jobs to clean it, be an usher or attendant help you pay for your million-dollar house?  What jobs will this bring to Frisco that are viable economic jobs that people can live on in Frisco?  None!  What happens if we ever faced another Pandemic?  During that time a survey showed that the Dallas Arts suffered a $67.7 Million dollar loss.  Who will pay for it then? 

Mayor Cheney and his protégés Tammy Meinershagen, Bill Woodard, John Keating, and Laura Rummel must have every project be so great, so grand!  It’s like they all suck on the same bottle of whiskey every night and pass the blunt until they have the same stories lined up.  Time to say enough, otherwise we might be setting ourselves up for some hard times ahead in Frisco.  Slow down, smell the roses!  Fix the infrastructure and stop lying to citizens.  Life would be so much better.