(Nebraska City) — Some Nebraska City residents hope to spur economic development through the arts.
During Monday night’s Nebraska City City Council meeting, supporters announced the formation of a Creative Arts District. Nebraska City Mayor Bryan Bequette tells KMA News local residents worked with state officials on a 10-year plan identifying specific strategies using the arts to increase tourism and business activity in the community.
“We had a group of citizens who came forward and said, ‘Nebraska City fits this perfectly,'” said Bequette. “So, they went through a lot of paperwork, working with the Nebraska Arts Council. First you apply, then they ask you to approve your application, then develop a strategic plan. You have to put together your city partners, and your city supporters, and put out as to how you’re going to use any funding that you might get from the state in order to move forward on economic development, focusing on your arts.”
Bequette says several Nebraska City facilities lend themselves to arts activities.
“Of course, we have the Kimmel Harding Arts Studio here in Nebraska City, where they bring in resident artists to focus on their skills for a couple weeks–two or three weeks at a time,” he said. “We have a lot of history. We have art galleries, and things like that. But, we’re also bringing in other different things in arts. We’re focusing on the (Veterans) Memorial Building with culinary arts. We’re building a commercial kitchen where people can rent out a space, or we could have people come in and do culinary instruction.”
Among other things, communities with creative arts districts are eligible for state funding.
“Typically, when a city first gets approved, there’s $10,000 they can use for planning,” said Bequette. “Then, that’s followed by a little over $2,000 that you can use for marketing. There’s also the Arena Fund–a slang term for it–for communities who put aside a certain amount of their tax proceeds for rural communities. Next fiscal year for the state, only communities with a creative district apply for those funds.”
Arts district supports meet Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Building to establish an executive board, and discuss a strategic plan, among other agenda items.
