Town Of Kiawah Island
Duncan Webb of Webb Management Services, the firm heading up the research on the feasibility study for an arts and cultural center on Kiawah Island, found himself back in front of the Kiawah Island Town Council on September 5, but this time it was to give them more finalized results of the phase 2 process from his nine-month study.
The last time he was in front of Council was back in April when he presented the findings from Phase 1. Phase 1, otherwise known as the needs assessment phase, began back in December of 2022. During Phase 1, Webb’s team focused on identifying the audience, what kinds of artists might utilize an arts facility, the demand and what the goals for the facility would be.
During the meeting in September, David Wohl, a volunteer on the Kiawah Island Arts and Cultural Events Council, noted that events in one year totaled about 5,000 people and that many of the events sold out the same day that tickets were released. He also said that they have over 4,000 emails on their mailing list.
Wohl’s support for an arts and cultural center on the Island stems from the fact that over the last few years, it has become increasingly more difficult and more expensive to schedule events, especially at resort venues.
To reiterate, the reasons why the feasibility study was done in the first place was to see if there could be a building created specifically for the Arts Council to utilize for events – like studios, classroom space, a small theater and an exhibition space. They needed to ask questions to the community on whether they would support such a facility. They also needed to figure out if there were enough events and activities to make the facility viable, how much it would cost to build, what it would take to operate it, what would be the best governance structure for such a facility, how big it would be, where it would be located and if there might be collaborators or partners interested in such a facility. Also, if it could generate rental income.
Wohl added that when the Kiawah Island Community Association took a survey from members recently, they found that residents noted “more amenities” as a top priority.
Webb explained that back in April, the needs assessment phase showed that there was a need and a market opportunity for such a facility based on audiences, users and the lack of other facilities in the area. He said that he also felt the facility aligned with the broader goals set for the community.
In the nine to 10 months since he started the study, Webb and his team have conducted multiple interviews with different stakeholders in the area, they have gone on tours, collected data and they even had a public meeting. They also conducted research on other facilities in the country that might have similarities to Kiawah Island.
Webb Management concluded that Kiawah Island could use an arts and cultural center with the following qualities:
• High quality performance space with excellent acoustics and technical capabilities.
• Flexible seating for 300 to 400 people that is also ADA compliant.
• Up-to-date technologies for live and filmed events.
• An additional multipurpose space for meetings, events, rehearsals, teaching and smaller performances with the capacity for 100 to 150 seats.
• Additional space for rehearsal and teaching, plus designated exhibition space in the lobby.
• Outdoor performance and event space.
Webb projected that the cost to build a facility with those features would be between $20 million to $26 million. “We have seen tremendous cost escalation with building in the last three years,” he mentioned.
The building would need to be on at least one acre or close to it. He presented options for either one story or two stories.
Webb Management also already scoped out sites for the building. He presented four possible locations:
• The Andell West development has a one-acre site available. Webb deemed it as an excellent location. It is owned by Riverstone.
• A property next to Town Hall, which is 1.58 acres and is on a major thoroughfare. It could have limited parking but space to develop. The Town owns the property.
• Church of our Savior expressed interest in selling a portion of their site. Webb also deemed this as a good location right by the main thoroughfare and near Town Hall. It is four acres of the total eight acres. Webb said they would have to extend a road to go past a graveyard to make it possible.
• There is a 3.5-acre site owned by Kiawah Partners right next to Andell Inn, which would be closer to the new Seafields senior community development. This one could be harder to access.
As a part of the Phase 2 portion of the study, they also gave the different sites scores based on size, community fit in style and scale, cost, availability, environmental impact, accessibility and proximity to amenities.
The two sites that scored the highest were Andell West and the site next to Town Hall.
Although Webb knew that a decision was not going to be made that day on what site to choose or even if they would go forward with planning to build such a facility at all, he did recommend that project leadership set a date to select a site.
“That process should coincide with a capital campaign. I also want you all to be open to recognizing opportunities, should they arise in the meantime. Perhaps a better site will open up. If it fits the criteria, you should jump on it,” Webb said.
Ultimately, the facility will have to have a business plan as well, which would include attracting programs, providing affordable access, contributing to the positioning of Kiawah Island as a first-class amenity and sustaining operations with the appropriate balance of income.
Webb recommended that they operate the facility under a designated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, led by local leaders.
Webb also shared that he held a workshop on June 8 with 22 live participants and eight participants on Zoom that represented local facilities, arts organizations and schools. He said they focused on talking about what the facility’s operating needs would be and what the planning process might look like.
“We deduced that there would need to be eight full-time staff members and six part-time positions. There would also need to be other workers as event staff in various roles,” he explained.
Webb also found from the Phase 2 part of the study that they would be using the facility at least 200 days out of the year to start and that it would increase from there over time.
He recommended that they present to Charleston County the economic impact of the facility in order to gain their support.
“Funding will be of utmost importance as we begin the process. We’ll need to seek out private funding and public funding. Naming rights are a big part of this. We’ll need to lean on our private donors heavily,” said Webb.
He also suggested that they hire a fundraising consultant to identify resources to fund the campaign.
He estimated a four-year period before breaking ground, and that it would go in phases, but would be something like this: First fundraise, then go into the planning and designing phase and then the operations phase.
Council Member Russell Berner chimed in, saying that he wanted Council to consider the fact that about 200 cars would take another whole acre so they may need to find bigger sites.
He also noted that he didn’t see where taxes were calculated in building the site.
Council Member John Moffitt added, “We have a tendency to jump in and solve all the problems. I don’t think this is the right time to do that for the Arts Council. It is just too premature to make any decisions on this.”
Council Member Michael Heidingsfelder contended that building such a facility should not involve the Town at all. “It should be only carried out by an independent organization. I don’t think the Town should be involved.”
And the mayor agreed. “This is a long journey. We have so many talented people on our Arts Council. I do think this should continue.”
Wohl concluded saying, “We know this won’t happen overnight. We are going to have to meet the challenges. To reiterate, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
Webb Management Services is a management consulting practice focused on the development, renovation and operation of cultural facilities. Their clients are governments, arts organizations, developers and educators. They conduct feasibility studies, business plans, strategic plans and district plans.