Brown County Tourism Officials Propose $10M Concert Hall
(Graphic courtesy of the Brown County Convention and Visitors Bureau)
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowPlans for a $10.2 million indoor entertainment venue have been announced in Brown County. The Brown County Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Brown County Convention and Visitors Commission say the proposed 2,000-seat facility would be county-owned and paid for through an innkeeper’s tax over 30 years. The Maple Leaf Performing Arts Center, as leaders are calling it for now, still needs town, county and local community organization and commission approval.
Plans call for it to also serve as space for community events and corporate functions. The CVB says the idea is to work with booking professionals to bring in big name musical talent of many genres. It says the project could be complete as early as spring of 2019 if all steps go as planned.
The annual bond payment to cover the proposed venue, the CVB says, is expected to total $560,000 per year. The county currently levies a 5 percent innkeepers tax on room and cabin rentals.
Executive Director Jane Ellis says "we believe that the proposed Maple Leaf venue holds great potential for positive economic impact on the community. Not only will it help to enhance Brown County as a stronger regional draw and destination to visit; but in the end, our hopes are that it will make it a better place to live and work as well."
Ellis says she envisions the facility as "a hub of partnership and prosperity" that will bring organizations and town and county leaders together to benefit local residents. "Not only could it become a vibrant asset to our community now, but it also could serve as solid foundation for future generations to come," she says.
You can connect to more about the proposal by clicking here.