City committee ties a bow on its two-year mission

Two years, 28 meetings, the resignation of its chairperson and multiple draft reports later, and the city of Sarasota’s Purple Ribbon Committee has adjourned for the last time. Now all that remains is the delivery of its report to the City Commission with its recommendations to repurpose the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.

The first 18 months of the committee’s work was an extended listening session, receiving input from performing arts groups, Visit Sarasota County, Ringling College of Art and Design, Van Wezel staff, Karins Engineering and members of the general public — to name a few — about what to do with the venerable venue should a new Sarasota Performing Arts Center be built. 

Selected based on the diversity of their expertise, the panel of six, which started with seven prior to the November 2024 resignation of Lee-En Chung, put the finishing touches on its report during its July 9 meeting. A tentative date of Aug. 18 is set to turn the matter over to the commission.

One need not read too far into the report to grasp the essence of the committee’s recommendation.

“The Purple Ribbon Committee unanimously agrees on a recommendation to keep the Van Wezel operating optimally at peak levels as our community performing arts hall until a new performing arts center is completed and fully operational,” read member Melissa Gissinger as the committee embarked on its final round of word mincing.

That opening remark is followed by a list of immediate recommendations and ongoing considerations, all of which suggested should the new venue be built — which is not a certainty until the city and the Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation come to terms with an implementation agreement — the Van Wezel has more than served its purpose to the community in its current form.

The list is followed by 59 pages of backup material ranging from climate vulnerability to engineering assessments and topics in between, such as financial considerations, potential users and alternative functions. 

Photo by Andrew Warfield

Although the report offers no definitive guidance on what the Van Wezel’s new purpose should be, it does suggest a handful of options including immersive experiences, flexible event space, family entertainment center, or museum or science center, citing some examples from elsewhere and Florida and other states.

It is specific, though, on what should happen with the building should it suffer severe damage from a future storm. One recommendation read that should the Van Wezel sustain unrecoverable storm damage, it would seem prudent to clear the site and incorporate it into The Bay park.

Bob Bunting, the committee’s climate specialist, said the building should be weather-proofed to the extent possible as outlined in the 2025 Karins Engineering report commissioned by the city. However, “I think that's a real issue, whether that building can be climate-proofed in the location that it is,” Bunting said. “The risk can be lowered, but where it is, unfortunately, is so vulnerable that anything beyond Category 3 is going to be a serious loss.”

Flood damage from Hurricane Milton, for example, required some $10 million in restoration costs to the lower portions of the building including the basement area, kitchen and Grand Foyer. 

“I think the principal concern is the viability of the building in its present location,” Bunting added. “That’s the crux of the matter.”

Once the City Commission receives the report, the fate of the Van Wezel will first be determined by whether it decides to take the next step in the design of a new performing arts center. Presuming that moves forward — an assumption made by the committee in forming its recommendations — the commission must then decide how the Van Wezel may or may not be repurposed if not for a secondary performing arts venue.

That consideration would include all the costs associated with addressing deferred maintenance and operations of the building.