Waldron Center bought by city

After several months of financial turmoil and negotiations, the City has formally announced its decision to take ownership of the John Waldron Arts Center. The decision will become effective March 31.

During a news conference Thursday morning, Mayor Mark Kruzan — along with several key players in the negotiations — announced the City will buy the building for $150,000.

The BAAC plans to pay all debts, in full, to employees, artists, contractors and its lender within 30 days of March 31, Kruzan said.

The council has also been given permission to use its current office space until May 31 to tie loose ends, and local radio station WFHB will continue its operations in the building.

It was important to keep the building open for artists and the community to use, said Miah Michaelsen, assistant economic development director for the arts at City Hall.

“One of our reasons to step in was because we heard how important it was to the community for these organizations to continue,” Michaelsen said.

Organizations and companies that have contracts with the BAAC to use the performance space, including Cardinal Stage Company and student-run organizations such as the University Players, should not expect any change in operation, Michaelsen said.

Paid city employees will now run the daily operations of the Waldron, taking over for the current volunteer staff.

The City, Michaelsen said, does not plan on having ownership of the building for long. It is now looking for a new, financially sound owner.

“We have laid out our parameters, the expenses are well-known,” she said. “We hope the right partner will step forward soon. We can only operate the building for the short-term, we cannot long-term.”

Concern over the center’s future started long ago.

In July, the BAAC was suspended from its partnership with the Indiana Arts Commission based on an assessment of the council’s management and financial work.

Things took another turn for the worst on Jan. 7, when the BAAC released a statement stating it needed $120,000 by March 1 to prevent the Waldron from closing permanently.

 Several weeks later, the council laid off all paid staff due to the lack of cash flow.
Two Indiana University interns, including graduate student Hannah Carmichael, were also released from their positions.

It was then that the mayor created an eight-member study group to address the problem.

 The group consisted of various community members who discussed and analyzed the BAAC, as well as recommended a course of action through a proposal to the mayor on how best to keep the building open.

While the BAAC spent January and March raising money, the study group organized five meetings, including one Jan. 26, to gather citizen feedback.

When the council’s deadline of March 1 was reached, the council had an increase of $30,000 in debt, yet the Waldron remained open under BAAC ownership.

Although the council’s future is uncertain, all parties involved said they are glad the building will remain as a center for arts in the Bloomington community and that no animosity remains.

“The good that BAAC has done shouldn’t be lost,” Kruzan said. “It invested in the structural integrity of the Waldron more than most people know.”