Plano Profile February 2010 : Page 6
gallimaufry Seize 2010 opportunities early T wenty-ten has a mighty powerful ring to it. and so it should, since it is the Chinese year of the tiger. My knowledge of Chinese astrology is not extensive, but i do know 2009 was the Chinese year of the ox, famed for fortitude and hard work. The sign seems appropriate since last year most of us lumbered along, determined to slog our way through the entire 365 days without crying “uncle.” it was a challenging time which may be best appreciated in hindsight. Bring on the year of the tiger! if 2010 shares the charac- teristics of the animal, it should be a fearless, adventurous, charismatic, unpredictable year. i welcome the tiger’s roar. i am eager to seize the opportunities of this first year in a brand new decade. in that optimistic frame of mind, i made a list of general action items that will put me squarely in the path of opportunities for personal or professional growth. My top ten for 2010 are forge new partnerships, invest in new technology, develop new revenue streams, seek new volunteering endeavors, exercise on a regular basis, study a foreign language, play more, learn more, paint more, and make more time for romance. The trick now, while this year is young (early January as i write this column), is to post the specifics on my calendar. Then, i am on the road to success. one enormously important community opportunity that we should seize early in 2010 is to award contracts for the construction of the arts of Collin County regional arts center and performance hall located at Sam rayburn Tollway/121 and Custer road. This innovative, public-private partnership to develop a 124-acre arts park is co-owned by the cities of allen, frisco and Plano, with operational support by member cities, 6 Plano Profile February 2010 jean ellis newman fairview and Melissa. its development is supported with $57 million in bond monies from the three owner cities and $3 million in Collin County open Space Grant funds. remaining funding (initially estimated as an additional $17 million) will come from private individuals, corporations and foundations. To date, those private sector funds total more than $10 million. activity in non-residential construction is incredibly low right now, which means commercial bids to build the 2,100-seat performing arts hall should be significantly lower than previous estimates. executive Director of the arts of Collin County Mike Simpson is elated about the potential savings, yet equally mindful of the quick action required to capitalize on this rare opportunity. Commercial construction bids are usually good for 90 days; full funding for the project must be committed prior to breaking ground; therefore, it is critical that any shortfall in funding be secured before contracts are awarded. now is the time for community fundraising to kick into high gear! Mike is fond of recounting this anecdote. During the Broadway in your Backyard campaign, a Collin County citizen sent him a check stapled to the arts of Collin County ad from Plano Profile with a personal note sharing, “Mike, i am 90 years old—you better hurry up!” recently, another $1,000 check arrived from the same wonderful woman (stapled to an ad, of course) and she issued aCC a challenge to raise a $1,000 from 1,000 families, which equals $1 million. D onations of any size are encouraged. During the last weeks of December, more than 37 families and individuals donated gifts ranging from $25–$50,000 to the arts of Collin County (totaling more than $135,000). These gifts signify an appreciation of the important role the arts play in enriching the quality of life and the economic growth of our community. Please visit the aCC Web site at artsofcollincounty.org or call 214.495.5810 to learn more. Then, please contribute. The cost savings will never be greater. let’s seize this exceptional opportunity to build the arts hall for us all! ■ Jean Ellis Newman is the publisher of Plano Profile.
Gallimaufry
Jean Ellis Newman
Seize 2010 opportunities early
Twenty-ten has a mighty powerful ring to it. And so it should, since it is the Chinese year of the tiger. My knowledge of Chinese astrology is not extensive, but I do know 2009 was the Chinese year of the ox, famed for fortitude and hard work. The sign seems appropriate since last year most of us lumbered along, determined to slog our way through the entire 365 days without crying “uncle.” It was a challenging time which may be best appreciated in hindsight.
Bring on the year of the tiger! If 2010 shares the characteristics of the animal, it should be a fearless, adventurous, charismatic, unpredictable year. I welcome the tiger’s roar. I am eager to seize the opportunities of this first year in a brand new decade.
In that optimistic frame of mind, I made a list of general action items that will put me squarely in the path of opportunities for personal or professional growth. My top ten for 2010 are forge new partnerships, invest in new technology, develop new revenue streams, seek new volunteering endeavors, exercise on a regular basis, study a foreign language, play more, learn more, paint more, and make more time for romance. The trick now, while this year is young (early January as I write this column), is to post the specifics on my calendar. Then, I am on the road to success.
One enormously important community opportunity that we should seize early in 2010 is to award contracts for the construction of the Arts of Collin County regional arts center and performance hall located at Sam Rayburn Tollway/121 and Custer Road.
This innovative, public-private partnership to develop a 124-acre arts park is co-owned by the cities of Allen, Frisco and Plano, with operational support by member cities, Fairview and Melissa. Its development is supported with $57 million in bond monies from the three owner cities and $3 million in Collin County Open Space Grant funds.
Remaining funding (initially estimated as an additional $17 million) will come from private individuals, corporations and foundations. To date, those private sector funds total more than $10 million.
Activity in non-residential construction is incredibly low right now, which means commercial bids to build the 2,100-seat performing arts hall should be significantly lower than previous estimates. Executive Director of the Arts of Collin County Mike Simpson is elated about the potential savings, yet equally mindful of the quick action required to capitalize on this rare opportunity. Commercial construction bids are usually good for 90 days; full funding for the project must be committed prior to breaking ground; therefore, it is critical that any shortfall in funding be secured before contracts are awarded. Now is the time for community fundraising to kick into high gear!
Mike is fond of recounting this anecdote. During the Broadway in your Backyard campaign, a Collin County citizen sent him a check stapled to the Arts of Collin County ad from Plano Profile with a personal note sharing, “Mike, I am 90 years old—you better hurry up!” Recently, another $1,000 check arrived from the same wonderful woman (stapled to an ad, of course) and she issued ACC a challenge to raise a $1,000 from 1,000 families, which equals $1 million.
Donations of any size are encouraged. During the last weeks of December, more than 37 families and individuals donated gifts ranging from $25–$50,000 to the Arts of Collin County (totaling more than $135,000). These gifts signify an appreciation of the important role the arts play in enriching the quality of life and the economic growth of our community.
Please visit the ACC Web site at artsofcollincounty.org or call 214.495.5810 to learn more. Then, please contribute. The cost savings will never be greater. Let’s seize this exceptional opportunity to build the arts hall for us all!
