After hearing impassioned pleas from representatives of the South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, the El Dorado City Council agreed Thursday to purchase another grand piano for the El Dorado Municipal Auditorium.
The nearly $118,000 package includes a used, 2012 Steinway piano and an upgrade to the existing piano garage in which to properly store the instrument.
The cost of the piano will largely be covered by an insurance settlement from the former Steinway piano that was destroyed by extensive water damage.
City officials have said the damage was caused by a leaky roof, adding that the piano was not protected by a covered padding and it had several dings.
On Thursday, Council Member Vance Williamson made a motion to purchase the used Steinway, which an Arkansas dealer had placed on reserve in Kentucky, and to dip into the city’s reserve coffers for the $10,000 insurance deductible and $6,000 to improve the room in which to store the piano.
The vote capped off weeks of discussions about how to handle the matter, including a specially called meeting in late March with groups who regularly rent the auditorium — Main Street El Dorado, the Boomtown Opry, the El Dorado-Union County Chamber of Commerce, the Boys and Girls Club of El Dorado and others — and another special meeting weeks later with the city council.
From those meetings, a new committee was formed to explore options of hiring a manager for the auditorium and other city-owned rental facilities, including the trolley bus and stages.
Kermit Poling and Michael Donnella — music director and board president, respectively, of the South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra — addressed the council about the matter Thursday.
Poling told council members that the symphony impacts the community in many respects, including cultural, artistical and educational, and presents shows that generate revenue in El Dorado.
He noted that the SASO’s Piano Extravaganza in March featured two gold medalists from the International Nena Wideman Piano Competition, which attracts pianists from all over the U.S. and the world.
Poling “highly encouraged” the council to consider purchasing the Steinway that is on hold in Kentucky by Mayflower dealer Stephen’s Piano Shop LLC, ahead of the start of the symphony’s 63rd season in September.
The opening show will feature the music of iconic jazz singer and pianist, Nat King Cole, covered by singer Caesar.
“It’s an excellent piano. It’s virtually new. It’s actually better that it’s not new but that it has been broken in a little bit because a piano takes time to settle in,” Poling said.
He also said that renting a piano from an out-of-town an dealer will send revenue elsewhere and that a brand new grand piano could cost nearly $160,000.
As a short-term measure, Poling suggested that the used piano could be kept onstage with a protective covering and on a specialized dolly to help protect its legs until the piano room could be renovated at the auditorium.
The former piano, which was built in 1961 and donated to the city decades ago by a private citizen for use at the auditorium, was maintained in the piano garage where it was supposed to have been protected, Poling said.
However, with the nearly $6 million renovation of the auditorium in 2015 and 2016, water pipes were re-routed through the roof of the garage and they sprang the leak that damaged the piano, Poling explained.
The situation has since been rectified, city officials said.
Council Member Willie McGhee inquired about the need for a climate-controlled environment for the piano.
Poling said a new HVAC system was installed during the renovation.
“The hall is climate-controlled … and it’s stable. Every time we have used the piano, we bring a technician in to make sure it’s tuned and taken care of,” Poling said. “That’s part of what we do to help support the instrument and it’s always been stable. That means that room is stable.”
Council Member Dianne Hammond invited Donnella to the lectern and Donnella focused on the educational benefits of the symphony.
He said artists from SASO shows often visit with music students at El Dorado High School and the symphony works with area students as part of program to develop music appreciation among local youth.
Donnella said students are invited to SASO shows and offered tickets that are free or at a reduced price.
He said SASO is also working to consistently provide free transportation for students to its shows, adding that local churches sometimes assist.
Council Member Willie McGhee said he appreciated hearing from Poling and Donnella but he was hesitant to spend more money for improvements in the auditorium.
“My thing was, it wasn’t nothing against the piano, but the problem I have is, ever since we have spent money at that auditorium, we have been spending money down there,” McGhee said. “I just wish we had had a sit-down and discussed what we needed to do on the front end.”
“Hopefully, this manager thing will stop some of these money issues and we’re constantly spending and we seem to have no problem with that but when it comes to other issues, we seem to have problem with that and to me, that seems like a double standard,” he continued.
Pierce Moore, administrative assistant in Mayor Veronica Smith-Creer’s office, said the new committee is working to put together a job description for a public facilities manager to oversee operations for the auditorium, city trolley bus and stage.
Moore said the group has compiled detailed information from cities in Louisiana and Texas that are similar in size to El Dorado and have municipal auditoriums and other facilities with managers.
Smith-Creer said the group has not yet scheduled its next meeting but in its first meeting earlier this month, members agreed that its first task will be to develop a job description for a manager of the city-owned facilities.
Tia Lyons may be contacted at 870-862-6611 or tlyons@ eldoradonews.com.