A coalition of state and private agencies is hoping lawmakers will give the thumbs up to a $4 million bond request to develop Maine’s cultural community.
AUGUSTA – A coalition of arts and cultural agencies is lobbying for a $4 million bond to shore up the infrastructure of the state’s cultural heritage and attract some private investment as well.
The Maine Cultural Affairs Council is hoping the $4 million it requested as part of the state bond package coming under review this week in Augusta makes the cut. The Appropriations Committee is expected to meet Thursday, Aug. 14, to review the bond package before it goes to the Legislature for an Aug. 21 vote.
The intent of the bond is to preserve Maine’s culture by restoring libraries and museum buildings, protecting archives and creating exhibits for cultural tourism, among other things. The council, which is made up of five state agencies and two private organizations, is hoping to convince lawmakers that investing in Maine’s culture will pay off in economic development incentives down the road.
“We think that arts and culture play an important role in the economic development of the state,” said Gary Nichols, Maine state librarian. “Industries and businesses move to areas that have good cultural opportunities.”
And an investment by taxpayers will pay off in private investment, Nichols said. For instance, statewide there are 27 library projects ready to begin, with a projected $24 million in private matching funds if the state bond passes.
The council has a track record of leveraging private money on a seven-to-one basis, said Erik Jorgensen, assistant director of the Maine Humanities Council, one of the coalition members.
The bond money is specific to infrastructure projects, not programming costs. In addition to upgrading libraries, money is requested to make arts buildings accessible to people with disabilities; preserve historic documents and artifacts; upgrade technology for the Maine Memory Network, an online museum; restore historic buildings; upgrade digital links for students to cultural offerings; and provide seed money for long-term exhibitions that will draw art and heritage tourists.
Council members said they recognize they are asking for money during tough economic times. And that their request is unconventional compared with more typical requests of money for bridges and highway improvements.
But they’re convinced of the merits of the arts bond, both for economic and cultural reasons.
“People come to Maine and from within Maine – a high percentage of them – for cultural matters,” said Alden Wilson, director of the Maine Arts Commission. “These are valuable resources in our communities that people use. They need to be protected and preserved and developed.”
Gov. John Baldacci backed the bond request and has pushed the development of a creative economy – one based on a class of workers paid to think – as a linchpin in his plans for economic development. The state estimates that in 2000, there were 14,000 full-time workers who fell into this category.
Baldacci established a Creative Economy Steering Committee to examine the idea of shifting the state’s economy from an industrial base to one powered by ideas. A conference on creative economy is planned for May.
The $4 million is part of the $94 million original bond request made by the Democrats this session. Republicans have said they want a total bond figure closer to $84 million. Both parties are expected to caucus leading up to the Appropriations Committee vote Thursday. A final bond request will be presented to voters on the November ballot.
Comments are no longer available on this story