White Plains CitizeNetReporter - Council Mulls a Not So Grand Cappelli-Bland; Webb Productions Presents

WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. March 6, 2003: The Common Council had Louis Cappelli and Frederick Bland visit Wednesday evening and saw models of how a lower, not as grand- Cappelli-Bland Hotel would fit into the city landscape. The city’s theatre consultant presented his preliminary business study for the city’s Performing Arts Center being created in the Cappelli City Center.

SPELLBOUND by Duncan Webb's numbers, the White Plains Common Council, from clockwise upper left: Rita Malmud, Tom Roach, Mayor Joseph Delfino, Robert Greer, Benjamin Boykin, and Glen Hockley, minus William King (who did not attend the meeting), takes in the show Thursday evening. Webb presented numbers and managerial strategies for the Performing Arts Center. His complete study is promised to be available "within a few days" according to George Gretsas, Executive Officer.
Photo by WPCNR ArtsCam

According to Jim Benerofe who observed this portion of the meeting, Mr. Bland and Mr. Cappelli presented model aspects of a 23-story hotel, using a model of the downtown. Bland made the point that one has to have significant “caps” on these buildings, and noted to the council how lowering the heights of hotel building reduced its attractiveness and appeal.

Theatre Previews

Duncan Webb of Webb Services Management Corporation, presented a 50-slide audio-visual show outlining how his organization saw the White Plains Performing Arts Center operations coming together.

NEXT ATTRACTION: Duncan Webb said that his company had identified 15 managing organizations, both local and out of the area, who might be interested in operating the theatre for the City and he expected half of them to apply to run the theatre once the city’s Request for Proposal is published.
Photo by WPCNR News,

Webb told WPCNR that at this stage his company has not identified the ratio of professional entertainment events to community amateur groups in the theatre’s programming mix. He said that that was an issue for the city to consider once the theatre managing company has been selected.

WP PERFMORMING ARTS CENTER BY THE NUMBERS: Webb’s proposed business plan envisaged six full time employees plus a theatre manager. His proposal presented vast statistics indicating the theatre would draw upwards to $1,000,000 ($740,000) in spending in the White Plains area that would be generated by Performing Arts Center patrons.
Photo by WPCNR News

Webb anticipated a Friends of the Performing Arts Center Foundation to aid in generating fundraising to endow the theatre, and a Community Board to approve the programming directions of the theatre management organization.

Webb said that one of the constraints on local groups using the theatre was limited rehearsal time, saying that they would have at best 1 or 2 days before performances scheduled there.


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