Plans will move forward for Kansas City arts center

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Plans for a $304 million performing arts center will move forward, although a two-state tax that would have helped fund the project won't be on the November ballot.

Although the performing arts center planned for downtown Kansas City stood to gain $40 million from the 20-year, one-eighth-cent sales tax, organizers said Friday that they would move forward with plans for the complex even without it.

"I don't think we were necessarily counting on it, but it wouldn't have been too bad to put it in the pot," said the center's project manager, Ken Dworak, adding that he was disappointed by the decision.

Most of the $304 million for the center will be raised privately. Groundbreaking is scheduled for 2004.

The $40 million that would have come from the bistate tax was separate from $30 million that center planners still hope to receive from the city for parking and infrastructure.

The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce announced Thursday that it was halting its drive to convince voters in Kansas and Missouri to approve the $736 million measure that would have benefited sports stadiums and the arts. Supporters will instead focus on building support and putting the question before voters in 2004.

In calling off the referendum, the chamber cited the uncertain economy and discouraging poll numbers.

But some arts leaders said they thought that the measure still had support in the community, despite the chamber's most recent poll, which showed that support had declined below 50 percent.