Salt Lake County OK's cultural blueprint

"If Salt Lake County is able to follow its new master plan, arts lovers could see cultural hubs in the suburbs, upgrades to beloved amphitheaters from Murray to Draper, the reincarnation of a defunct sugar factory in West Jordan and a film center in the capital's downtown.

Dueling visions of a 2,500-plus-seat playhouse in Salt Lake City or Sandy might even have a shot at county funds. But those proposals were given less weight in the plan, which concluded the demand for Broadway entertainment in Utah is being met.

On Tuesday, the County Council unanimously agreed to "accept" the $300,000 blueprint that will guide the multimillion-dollar development and use of arts venues for decades to come.

Midvale Mayor JoAnn Seghini, who helped shape the plan, told the council she was impressed by the willingness of arts groups to share facilities, when possible.

"What we found out ... is there is a great appetite for facilities of any size all over our county that will allow people to get together and experience the arts," she said. "It was overwhelming."

Prepared by AMS Planning & Research's California office, the master plan provides an inventory of 130 existing cultural facilities, which the county plans to make available online. The study also recommends the county consider helping 16 potential projects to join the lineup, although all proposals are welcome to apply for county funds.

About half the "master-plan projects," including a film center and Ballet West academy, are in Salt Lake City, which is deemed the county's "cultural core."

But the study envisions three suburban regional cultural centers, similar in size to Salt Lake City's Rose Wagner Center, four amphitheater upgrades, a renovation of Magna's historic Empress Theatre and a transformation of West Jordan's defunct sugar factory into an arts center.

That geographic breadth demonstrates the study's "very balanced approach," County Council Chairman Joe Hatch said in an interview.

"Most significant arts facilities should be centered in downtown Salt Lake," Hatch said. "In addition, though, [the plan concluded] that there is a huge crying need for smaller, regional cultural facilities throughout the county."

The $300,000 study -- the LDS Church kicked in $100,000 of the county's tab -- did not answer one mega-question: Should a mega-theater be built in Salt Lake City or Sandy?"