It”s time for big, beautiful Cotton Auditorium to finally graduate to being a productive money-making member of the Fort Bragg Unified School District, trustees said at their December meeting.
Trustees turned down the idea of a one-year contract suggested by staff, instead voting for a three-month contract, so that they can keep a closer eye on the bookings.
The contract, which originated last year, is with Boost! Event Planning and Publicity run by Marcie Shorg of Albion. The contract has been month-to-month through the end of 2007.
Trustees said if the auditorium can”t generate income in the professional arena, it might be best to return it to the control of school district employees.
Cotton Auditorium is the grandest building in the school district, built with federal funding as part of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt”s New Deal policies in the 1930s, supplemented by a local bond-issue.
It nearly died of mold in the 1990s, discovered when a car crashed into the structure and revealed the dryrot.
The building was thought beyond hope until the district won government grants to restore it. That process was completed two years ago, after a three-year, $6 million renovation with a grand opening Oct. 8, 2005.
At this month”s meeting, the board did get one entirely pleasing report on Cotton from Vicky Watts of The Coast-KOZT FM, who said the Local Licks Live 14 concert was very successful. The station donated $1,000 to the ongoing repair of Cotton and another $2,000 to be used for the district music program needs.
“I enjoyed Local Licks Live 14 so much I am looking forward to 15,” said Superintendent Steve Lund, who will be retired by then.
The use of Boost! Event Planning has lightened the load of the middle school staff, Lund told trustees. Boost! has also played a role in dealing with questions and last-minute matters surrounding performers and getting the right insurance, he said. The district”s head of facilities, John Griffith, continues to spend time along with Lund on the facility. Griffith was credited with leading the restoration effort.
Trustees wondered why the auditorium, the biggest and grandest between the Bay Area and Eureka, hasn”t started to make money. They said it is time for the facility to begin to repay more of its renovation. Board member Jennifer Owen was concerned with the possibility that the district could actually spend money on bookings for Cotton next year, based on the contract.
The contract calls for Boost! to manage the calendar, bookings and publicity, including creating articles and press releases for local and out-of-area newspapers, magazines and other broadcast outlets..
Other such facilities have their own Website. A Google search revealed little information online about Cotton, or its dramatic history.
Lund said it takes an initial investment of funds to get the auditorium to make money. He said he wouldn”t recommend the continued use of the service if it looks like making money eventually isn”t likely.
Lund will provide the board with a detailed report in March on what kind of marketing and promotion work is being done and what kind of income the facility could generate.
Board Member DeeLynn Carpenter suggested reconvening the local board that helped revive the auditorium to see why it isn”t taking off as a regional venue.
Lund said the district expects greater use of Cotton by the Mendocino Music Festival this year. The only local group he could think of that has not returned to use Cotton is Gloriana Opera Company, he said.
During the renovation, each item in Cotton, from seats to the ornate lumber, was removed and numbered, then refurbished and put back. Although the 842-seat auditorium was restored to its original cedar and redwood grandeur, it was done with the latest sound engineering.
While much of Fort Bragg is named for timber barons or military men, Cotton is named for beloved local educator Professor Joel Cotton, who died in 1952, after 49 years as a teacher and principal in Fort Bragg Schools. He helped get the magnificent auditorium built, beginning in 1937 and finishing in 1939. An orphan at 3, Cotton graduated from Stanford University and was said to be an inspiration to many who went on to college from Fort Bragg schools.
