from Metro Pulse

Candy Factory meeting went a little wild
by Ellen Mallernee

In response to recent controversy about the redevelopment of the Candy Factory, an icon during the 1982 World’s Fair , a public meeting was held on the building’s 7th floor on April 28. Though the meeting began in a calm climate, moods soon elevated to what some likened to a ’60s protest riot.

About 75 people were in attendance to voice grievances and thoughts about a plan that would keep only some of the gallery and studio space used by arts and non-profit groups. Because the city incurs a net loss of $178,000 a year on the Candy Factory, the Haslam administration recently issued a request for proposals to renovate the structure, as well as the nearby Victorian houses and other World’s Fair Park features.

Chattanooga-based Kinsey Probasco Hays & Associates responded with the favored plan, setting up negotiations to convert much of the Candy Factory into high-end condos. The plan also calls for renovations to the Sunsphere, the Tennessee Amphitheater and the Victorian Houses. Metro Pulse owner Brian Conley is a partner with the redevelopment group.
City Council members were attending the meeting included Joe Hultquist, Chris Woodhull and Rob Frost, as well as Bill Lyons, the city’s senior director of policy development.

“I thought [the meeting] was good,” says Woodhull, “and good, meaning that it was good that people were able to come together and see each other and voice their concerns in the presence of one another and not just one on one, but collectively, and it’s good that the City Council was there to hear it, and it’s good that Bill Lyons was there to hear it.”

Representatives from 14 of the groups that meet in the Candy Factory, and one concerned citizen, stepped forward to the open mike.

Reps spoke for the Tennessee Stage Company, Circle Modern Dance, the Youth Advisory Board, Knoxville Swing Dance, Knoxville Songwriter’s Association, InterAct Children’s Theatre for the Deaf, Pouncy Partners, Scottish Country Dancing, East Tennessee Discovery Center, 1010 Gallery and Mountain Laurel Gallery, among other organizations and businesses. Concerned about being displaced from the building, many tried in earnest to communicate what the structure’s value is to their respective organizations. Kimberly Matibag of Circle Modern Dance, said, “I’d like everyone to know how useful this space is to us and our community.” Cynthia Atkins with Scottish Country Dancing added, “It’s hard to find a dance studio in this area. We need wood floors, because linoleum flooring is physically taxing. We’ve already contacted other studios in town, and they’re booked.” Atkins said the other studios in town had only linoleum flooring anyway, and many were without needed mirrors.

Margaret Maddox of the East Tennessee Discovery Center, said that the center has $1.2 million worth of equipment on the 4th floor of the Candy Factory and no place to relocate it.
Though some have suggested that the groups relocate to Knoxville museums or parks, the consensus had it that such locations wouldn’t be feasible because of weather and space concerns.
A suggestion to use the space in the old convention center was better received, and Lyons promised to look into that possibility.

Councilman Hultquist said that there are some “really, really important policy decisions” to be made, and that the city isn’t just concerned about “the status of the facility, but also its serious fiscal issues.”

When Woodhull spoke, he echoed what he’d gotten from the evening’s fervent speakers. “Art is important,” he said. “This is not just about a scheduling problem; you’re lamenting the loss of a vibrant community.”

Though Sherby Jones of Mountain Laurel Gallery said the evening had “an empowering, happy, good feeling for a meeting,” things got heated as Lyons stepped behind the mike.
Lyons addressed the building’s financial issues; besides the rent loss each year, he said the building needs $2.5 to $3 million in renovations. “It’s unfair to characterize the city of Knoxville as not caring or investing in the arts,” he said.

Local architect Michael Kaplan, who described himself as a concerned citizen, suggested that the building be sold to a non-profit group or that local citizens be given the opportunity to collect money for purchase of the building.

When Lyons said it was “too late” for such a proposal, members of the crowd guffawed or hooted in outrage. One fellow in the back of the room cupped his hands over his mouth and ranted, clapping wildly as if at a football game.

Kaplan suggested that the meeting be the beginning of a new mayoral campaign, though he didn’t specify anyone he had in mind. That resulted in verbal sparring with Lyons. “The city has a commitment towards a broad-based support of the arts,” Lyons said. “I know the mayor shares this passion.”

The meeting ended inconclusively, but Councilman Woodhull said, “I think there are a lot of options that have been left on the table. [Though] it was sort of unclear what the next step was, and it’s unclear whether there’s a possibility of the next step.”

Woodhull doesn’t feel bothered by the somewhat chaotic nature of the meeting. “Democracy’s a little bit messy; it’s not like a powerpoint, and a public meeting shouldn’t be concise. It needs to get a little bit agitated.”