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County Reaches Deal With Cultural Center

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By ELIZABETH LEE BROWN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 3, 2008

CARROLLWOOD The newly constructed Carrollwood Cultural Center, slated to open in early March, will be run by its biggest supporters.

Hillsborough County leaders approved a five-year deal Thursday to hand over the building's management to the Friends of the Carrollwood Cultural Center.

The pact, the first of its kind for a county building, transfers the day-to-day operations of the cultural center from the county's parks, recreation and conservation department to the Friends group and its 15-member volunteer board.

Under the agreement, the county will pay the Friends a $380,000 annual management fee for the first two years. The county's contribution will decrease in years three through five based on a percentage of the center's revenues.

Tom Jones, president of the Friends organization, said construction of the building is 99 percent complete and the agreement allows the group to begin hiring staff and lining up classes for an early March grand opening.

Classes and the complex's 25,000-square-feet of space will be open to all county residents, not only those living in Carrollwood.

For more on this story, see the Jan. 9 edition of the Carrollwood News & Tribune

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