I wrote a bit about the Culver Theater groups proposal here before. It has continued to be a topic of conversation at the Culver Town Council, Plan Commission and Redevelopment Commission. There seems to be some division in the Culver Town Council on the proposal, which is unfortunate. Having a group step up for this kind of improvement, that is well funded and has a positive community vision, would seem to be something the Town should give full-throated support. Of course the C.A.V.E. Society (Citizens Against Virtually Everything) is always active, so some negativity is to be expected.
At the June meeting of the Culver Redevelopment Commission, there was a presentation by the chairman of the Lakefest Committee. This led to discussion of some of the reoccurring expenses that could be eliminated with the improvements proposed in the over-arching READI project which included improvements to the theater, Town Park and the over all Lake Shore Drive (LSD) entertainment district. Better electric service availability. additional restrooms and possibly storage for items that could be purchased in lieu of rented on a yearly basis.
The restrooms and storage needs perked my interested, as I wondered if this was something that could be rolled into the theater project. (I really hate to see green space in the park taken up with anymore buildings than necessary.) The town is already pledging some of the existing parking lot west of the theater for expansion. Currently that expansion is proposed at around 20′. This basically absorbs the unpaved area on the east side of that lot. Here are a few idea for some limited additional expansion of that, which could have a large impact:
- I have not seen the plans for the new theater. The existing building has a partial basement. If there is a basement under the new theater, could part of it be segregated to provide some storage for Lakefest items, i.e. tents, awnings, trash receptacles, etc.?
- Include an additional bump-out for public restrooms. If this was done at the front (south) part of the lot, it could again be mostly restricted to the unimproved area of the site and not affect paving or parking. This would be a good spacing from the existing public restrooms in the Beach Lodge and in a location easier for police to observe/patrol. it would be easier and less expensive to do as an addition to the theater in lieu of a stand alone building. (30′ x 10′ footprint?)
- An addition of 10′ to the proposed bump-out along the entire length would provide room for restrooms and storage. This could step down to 2 story and provide two floors of storage for the Town, Lakefest and the Fire Department for things like the Firemen’s Festival games and such. More space could be achieved here if a basement were provided.
- Since this is becoming Culver’s Entertainment District, would a second outdoor stage be appropriate? My thought here is more along the lines of a music venue stage, so no curtains, overhead lights, etc., but a raised structure facing the west. A basement under this could provide additional storage and a connection to the restrooms discussed above could create a green room/dressing room. I would picture this as about 10′ deep again, so not a huge additional encroachment on the town’s parking lot site. This is the option I’ve shown in the rough thumbnail sketches below, which would lose an additional two parking spaces in the existing lot.
All of these ideas could be as simple or as elaborate as deemed appropriate or as the budget allowed. This is just my attempt at some creative thinking before plans are set in stone. Until construction starts, there are a myriad of possibilities…
