The Wheeler Real Estate Transfer Tax, and the multiple questions in Basalt about the Pan and Fork land parcel, will both have effects on art-focused nonprofits. Aspen Public Radio’s Patrick Fort spoke with Gena Buhler from the Wheeler Opera House and Genna Moe from The Art Base to see how each would be affected by November’s votes.
Wheeler Real Estate Transfer tax:
The tax takes half a percent of real estate purchases and uses the money to fund the Wheeler Opera and its programming budget.
Gena Buhler on how the Wheeler’s role changes if the tax isn’t extended...
“What we do would change significantly. We are operated by the City of Aspen. If the main sort of funding goes away, the main sort of ideas that we operate under would change too. All of the granting that we would do would all go away.”
Questions regarding the Pan and Fork parcel:
The Art Base has plans to make a new building, either in its current location or across the street at the controversial Pan and Fork land parcel. Genna Moe said putting new offices and work space there is just one option.
Genna Moe on the benefits of moving to a new location...
“The most obvious reason for us personally is we could stay in our current building until our new building is finished … Another reason for building across the street is we could spill out into the park in unlimited ways …”
