The fate of a future arts facility for MusicalFare Theater could be in jeopardy after thousands of Amherst residents petitioned to put the theater troupe’s contract with Amherst up for a vote.
The grassroots effort has garnered almost 4,600 resident signatures. If there are no objections, it would lead to a special vote over plans for a multi million-dollar facility for MusicalFare Theater.
The protest is an effort to slow the town’s spending, especially after Amherst raised taxes for 2024, community member Chris Drongowsky said.
“With regards to MusicalFare, the permissive referendum is, is not to spend $11 million for a theater building. This is not against MusicalFare. It's just that the residents strongly feel that the building a theater is a non-essential service, which we cannot afford at this time," he said. "If MusicalFare wants to pay for this building and the maintenance, and the upkeep, and pay the town properly -- you know, taxes -- I don't think we'd be here today.”
Amherst can take up to an $11 million bond for the project. MusicalFare would pay $3.3 million upfront, reducing the initial cost accordingly.
The financial benefits would offset the cost, said MusicalFare Artistic and Executive Director Randall Kramer, and a significant portion of the employees and customer base would be local.
“Our economic impact annually is $2.8 million … that means employing people locally, that means that money that is going that is that we are paying people, is going right back into the economy," he said. "When we move to the new space, that will have 220 seats and a slightly enlarged cabaret. That's going to be $4 million a year in the new theater. When you do the math for that impact over the 30-year lease that we have signed with the town of Amherst, that is a $120 million economic impact.”
Gathering so many signatures in about a month demonstrates that residents want a say in the final decision, Drongowsky said.
"The support by the Amherst community, I mean, everybody labeled us a small group," he said. "But as you saw today, 4,600 signatures, that's not a small group. That's a large representation of the Amherst residents that are upset with the spending of this town board."
Kramer says the proposed space would be available for other uses when not needed for MusicalFare, but the troupe needs its own space since it performs 200 times a year.
"If this proposition goes on the ballot, and the proposition is defeated, ie, the residents against this bond action are successful, it will put MusicalFare's future in Amherst in jeopardy," he said. "There's no simpler way to put it,"
If there are no objections, there would be a special vote in about three months.
