GUHSD Partnership Could Re-Open East County Performing Arts Center

Could the curtains once again be opening for the East County Performing Arts Center?

They may well be thanks to a potential partnership between the City of El Cajon and the Grossmont Union High School District.

According to a report in U-T San Diego, school board members at their meeting Wednesday night discussed a scenario which would reopen the once popular center, allowing the district to use the facilities for school productions and graduations.

The more than 1,100-seat facility has been closed since 2010 for a variety of maintenance issues. It was slated to reopen in 2011 but did not, as the newspaper reports, "safety issues such as a reported hole in the roof and lack of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act."

Board president Jim Kelly and boardmember Jim Stieringer will be part of a committee that will meet with El Cajon city officials to discuss the possible partnership.

"It's potentially beneficial (for the district), a great use for the East County region," El Cajon City Manager Doug Williford told U-T San Diego. "However even without (the district as a partner), we're going to re-open it. There are only three or four venues like it - Golden Hall in downtown San Diego, Escondido and Poway. These are rare facilities. Arts and events centers are important components to a community. And this goes well beyond the city's boundaries."

According to the paper, Kelly called ECPAC "one of the greatest assets in East County, strategically placed right in the middle" (of the district's 11 campuses) and said he hoped the two agencies would "work together to see if we can jointly have partnerships to save the taxpayers money, where both organizations can benefit."