County Clarifies Agri-Civic Center Rental Rules

For the 21st straight year, the Lake Placid Art League will hold its annual art show on the fourth Saturday in January at the Highlands County Agri-Civic Center.

For the first time, the Highlands County commissioners had to waive the rules on rental of the civic center in order for this show to go on there. Commissioners also agreed to waive the rules so that the Highlands County Quilt Guild can again hold its biannual show, set for February 2009, at the county facility.

Commissioners waived rules adopted in the mid-1990s that ban for-profit sales by vendors at events in the Agri-Civic Center.

The rule was adopted to stop businesses from getting cheap rent, subsidized by taxpayers, to use the Agri-Civic Center auditorium for fleamarket-type sales with items like "velvet Elvis rugs" and all kinds of "junk" passed off as "antiques," county Administrator Carl Cool said.

Artists sell their artwork at the annual art show and vendors sell quilting supplies at the quilt show, which makes their events technically not allowed at the Agri-Civic Center.

Cool said the intent of the rules is to make the Civic Center available for both non-profit and for-profit community groups, but not as a low-cost option for sales events otherwise held on the side of a road.
David Flowers, director of facilities management for the county, said he recently found that the rules had been overlooked and needed clarification from commissioners.

Marlene Snyder, president of the Lake Placid Art League, said the annual art show raises funds used for college scholarships, monthly art exhibits, free arts programs for the Potter's House Girls Home, and to maintain the organization's building, which houses art classes.

The annual art show is not only a major fundraiser for the art league, but also a popular community event, Snyder said.

Donna Stohl, president of the Quilt Guild, said the organization's 106 volunteer members will make more than 130 quilts this year which are donated free to community organizations.

Without rental of the Agri-Civic Center, she said, "there's no place else for us to go that we can afford or that's big enough to hold our show.

"If we don't have the show," she added, "we will be out of business, because that is our main source of income."

Commissioners agreed to review every request to rent the Agri-Civic Center on a case-by-case basis.