Future Is Unknown for the Keepers of Dana Point’s Past

DANA POINT —  The accumulated history of Dana Point will be stuffed into boxes when the city’s historical society reluctantly vacates its home in an office building next week.

The Dana Point/Capistrano Beach Historical Society has been staying rent-free for about five years, but now the owner of the building on Street of the Golden Lantern wants them out. The landlord? Dana Point City Hall.

With another tenant ready to pay rent on the historical society’s space in the two-story office complex, the city gave the nonprofit group 30-days’ notice last month.

Society members are upset, but they can get in line behind several other major community groups that have seen their funding slashed or eliminated by the city in recent years.

Since 1996, a divided City Council has cut off funding to the Tallships Festival, disbanded nearly all city commissions, including the cultural commission, cut back on financial support to the Festival of Whales and shelved a sweeping arts and cultural plan.

“At one time we could see ourselves becoming an art community like Laguna” Beach, said Doris Walker, the historical society’s founder and author of several books on local history. “We thought culture was alive.”

The group is talking with a local businessman about donation of a temporary space in a strip mall along Pacific Coast Highway.

For city officials, the funding choice is simple--roads come before cultural programs.

“I don’t believe the role of government is fulfilling philosophical social beliefs,” said Mayor Bill Ossenmacher. “We have limited resources at our disposal and health, safety and welfare issues come first.”

City officials began limiting support to local groups several years ago, cutting an annual grant to the whale festival from $50,000 to $30,000.

But over the past two years, a council majority has pushed groups to stand on their own two feet financially.

The Orange County Marine Institute lost $6,500 to help pay for the Tallships Festival last year. The Festival of Whales saw its $30,000 stipend cut to $10,000 for this year’s event--a figure that will be further sliced to $5,000 next year.

In another move to cut costs and red tape, in 1997 the city eliminated all commissions except for the Planning Commission. Lost in the cutback was the Community Services Commission--a combination of the city’s human services and cultural agencies.

Residents who worked on some of the commissions say that Dana Point was poised to make a name for itself as a diverse community of artists, musicians and surfers.

As chairman of the cultural commission, Colene Schwandt helped work for two years on a cultural plan that envisioned a building for the arts in Dana Point.

However, she said the council shelved the report.

“There is no real plan for Dana Point to show its cultural soul to the world,” said Schwandt. “I have no bitterness or ill will, but I just feel sad about the lost potential.”

Cities act differently when it comes to handing a check to community groups.

Mission Viejo sets aside $50,000 and has local nonprofits apply for the funds. San Juan Capistrano is heavily involved in helping with major events, like the annual return of the swallows.

Other cities such as Laguna Hills don’t feel it’s right to spend taxpayers’ money to support local groups, whether they are charities or cultural organizations.

“There is an endless supply of worthy causes,” said Laguna Hills Mayor R. Craig Scott. “Even with a healthy budget, there is no way to satisfy everyone. Our response has been not to chose.”

In some cases, Dana Point civic groups have been able to fill in the gaps.

Toshiba stepped in last year and contributed the $6,500 the city formerly gave to the Tallships Festival. This year, the company will increase its support to $25,000.

The cost: the Tallships Festival is now officially called the Toshiba Tallships Festival.

Institute President Stan Cummings said that in the past, when the institute’s tall ship Pilgrim visited other ports along the coast, “we went as an ambassador of Dana Point. Now we sail on behalf of Toshiba. That’s too bad, because I think the city lost a vital signature.”

Councilman Harold R. Kaufman said the historical society shouldn’t be given free rent--particularly when the new tenant signed a five-year, $100,000 lease. But he feels that in general, cultural groups and community events should be funded when possible.

“I definitely think we should be doing what we can to help support organizations that do good things in Dana Point,” he said.