Carrollwood Cultural Center Looks Forward After Financial Struggles Threatened Future

The first time he walked into the Carrollwood Cultural Center, Todd Dunkle didn't know what to expect.

"I didn't know what a cultural center was," said Dunkle, now the center's development and marketing director, of his trek through the center's halls in 2009. "I thought, 'Is it a museum?' But, I walked in, and I was captivated."

Dunkle wasn't the only one who wasn't sure what to make of the center, which opened in 2008.

After battling the community's misconceptions about its purpose, its name (it's not just for Carrollwood residents) and coping with years of financial ups and downs when revenues didn't always cover expenses, officials say they're optimistic about the future of the 26,000-square foot center.

They hope the center, which is run through a partnership with Hillsborough County and a nonprofit called the Friends of the Carrollwood Cultural Center, becomes a local mecca of sorts for all things cultural. Officials hope to expand the current roster of classes, which include pottery and yoga.

"We're in a better place than we've been in a long time," said Paul Berg, executive director of the center. "Some of the biggest problems we had were growing pains."

Those pains were largely financial. When the 26,000 square foot center opened in 2008 where St. Mark's Episcopal Church once stood, its revenues were $675,966, and expenses totaled $601,423.

In 2009, revenues were $725,315, and expenses were $750,457. In 2010, revenues were $745,793, and expenses were $733,066.

A contentious meeting last spring about the center's finances caused members of the community to question the center's financial future, and even Berg's role as executive director.

John Miley, a member of the board of the Friends of the Cultural Center, said he attributes some of the center's recent success to the newly-hired artistic director, Richard Haerther.

"He is going to bring in programs that are going to appeal to a broader range of people," Miley said. "That will bring in income and contribute to the bottom line."

But Miley cautioned against the center, at 4537 Lowell Road, depending on performances as a sole source of revenue.

"Performances are only one income stream," he said. "Classes are the largest income generator. Building on what already exists in the way of classes is going to be very important to the bottom line."

The center is operating on a zero balanced budget of $781,685 for 2011, Berg said. Eliminating any of the center's employees - seven full-time and two part-time - isn't being considered. Attrition has eliminated four positions, which have not been filled, Berg said, saving the center money.

"New organizations aren't expected to break even until three to five years (after they've started)," Berg said. "In our three years, we've had two out of three years in the black."

While struggling to become financially stable, Berg said the center, which sees foot traffic of about 20,000 people for everything from book club meetings to theatre productions, has also faced a few misconceptions.

Some think it's a center that's just for Carrollwood residents, or assume it's entirely funded by the county. Others cringe at the word "cultural" and the connotations that word brings.

"They think it's high brow, or snooty," said Berg.

Regardless of assumptions, donations are required to keep the center running. Operating costs total about $800,000 per year at the center - half of which comes from the county.

To raise money, events such as a September golf tournament fundraiser are being planned where the center will partner with Emerald Greens Golf Resort & Country Club, said Dunkle.

"We don't know all that we can become," said Dunkle. "The more community and corporate involvement we get, the more we can offer."

Berg said he wants the center to become a regional organization that is a model for others like it.

His thoughts on the center's potential?

"We're just scratching the surface."

For more information about the center's classes or membership rates, go to their website.