Related story: ArtsPaper Q&A with Alyona Ushe

By Jane Smith

    The popular Arts Garage will soon be able to book bands for the summer, after its chief public provider decided to step outside its guidelines and aid the struggling arts venue.
    Dan Schwartz, Arts Garage finance director who has taken on the duties of co-executive director with Keith Garsson, said the Arts Garage board has agreed to loan the performing arts venue money to cover bank overdrafts and salaries. But it needs a cash infusion to be able to book concerts for the summer months.
    The Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency board agreed, deciding unanimously April 28 to release the first-quarter allocation, $68,750, under certain conditions.
    “The CRA needs a return on its investment, which will happen if the Arts Garage books bands this summer,” CRA board member Daniel Rose said. People will come for a concert and then eat at a restaurant, he said. “They are trying to crawl out of the hole. We need to crawl with them.”  
    “We are in a tough spot,” said Reggie Cox, chairman of the CRA. “We are accountable for fairness in this process.”
In that vein, the Arts Garage must:
    • Close the bank accounts associated with its Pompano Beach locations.
    • Provide checks, invoices and other financial backup for the first-quarter expenses for the Delray Beach location that are acceptable by CRA staff as sufficient documentation.
    • Provide an explanation from the Arts Garage auditor about the overdraft of $10,628.
    The Arts Garage severed financial ties with the Pompano Beach locations in early April, according to Schwartz. As of April 4, the bank accounts were no longer linked electronically, he said.
    The Arts Garage also eliminated its former executive director, Alyona Ushe, as an authorized check signer. After helping to create and build the Arts Garage, she resigned on April 4.
    Mayor Cary Glickstein called Ushe “a force of nature who through sheer will … took an embryonic idea … and turned it into a performing arts venue.”
    Not uncommon in the arts world, he said, the person who got you there is not the one who can manage it when the organization becomes more of a business.
    On April 19, Schwartz wrote, “It is worth noting that all staff related to Pompano has moved out of AG’s facilities and are completely funded by Pompano.”
    The Arts Garage was supposed to buy its location from the city in March, but it didn’t have the money. Instead it is seeking a long-term lease.
    To get the second quarter amount, another $68,750, the Arts Garage must submit:
    • Bank accounts showing CRA money is used only for the Delray Beach location.
    • A strategic plan or a timeline for completing one.
    • A final audit for the financial year of 2014-2015.
    Schwartz and Garsson estimated it would take 30 hours to pull the canceled checks and invoices for the first quarter and said their time could be better spent booking bands and performing other duties.
    But CRA executive director Jeff Costello insisted the documents be compiled.
    “To ensure the CRA money is used properly, we have to ensure the guidelines are followed,” Costello said. “If someone has to work extra to produce it that should be done.”
    Evelyn Dobson, executive director of the Delray Beach Community Land Trust that receives CRA money from the same program as the Arts Garage, noted that a final audit of the previous year was necessary to receive money for the current year. “Would you make the same concession for any other organization?” she asked.

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