So, the good news is, there’s a plan afoot to get a new performing arts center built in Berlin. The Berlin Performing Arts Center Research Committee has submitted a detailed proposal for a center to be finished in December, 2009. Their research supports the idea that having a certain number of similar performing arts centers is the best way to help all of them thrive in a given city. According to the proposal, the Berlin Performing Arts Center could be one of the first steps towards creating a flourishing dance, music and theater community in Worcester County.

So, what’s the bad news? Worcester county has not made any kind of commitment to fund the proposal, which was designed as a public-private partnership, in which costs are shared between private investors and the county itself. While the county did not out-and-out deny funding, it has been reluctant to make any offers so far.

Obviously, it’s hard making budget decisions for a whole county — it’s hard for me to make budget decisions for the weekend. But really, Worcester County needs to step up here. Other Delmarva burgs, like Virginia Beach, have made a commitment to supporting the arts commuity, and it has paid off with a lively artistic scene that draws in guests who might have otherwise gone elsewhere. Considering the success Ocean City has had with art and craft shows in recent years, I think that the county should recognize the impact of cultural tourism by now — as well as the impact of just plain culture. Berlin is a fun city with a lot of character and charm, and a performing arts center would be a perfect way to grow that into something alive and exciting. And that would benefit Ocean City and Worcester County as a whole, not just Berlin.

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