Photo by Craig FritzTribune

Tribune

Kevin Turner, 7, and Tiana Turner, 16, watch the red glow of a star on the screen at the Lodestar Astronomy Center. Lodestar is one of many nonprofits that would benefit from the county's "quality of life" initiative, should it pass Nov. 7. The measure has supporters and critics.

Photo by Craig FritzTribune

Tribune

During a field trip to the Lodestar Astronomy Center, Grant Middle School students Chris Sena, 12 (center) and Kris Laughlin, 12, (right) go through an exercise directed by Jan McClure. The center could benefit from the "quality of life" initiative up for vote Nov. 7.

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Deep within the Lodestar Astronomy Center on Mountain Road Northwest is a chilly storage room where, among other scientific objects gathering dust, is a duffel bag containing an inflatable planetarium.

Attach a fan, bring in a machine to project star images, and you can go to any school and teach students about the wonders of the universe.

Lodestar Director David Beining would like to use it more, but he said he doesn't have the staff.

Bernalillo County voters on Nov. 7 could change that, says Pamela Chavez, who is spearheading the Bernalillo County "quality of life" initiative.

It would raise the gross receipts tax by three-sixteenths of a cent to support artistic and cultural programs such as Lodestar.

With area nonprofits, "it's always hand-to-mouth, day to day," she said. "They're just fighting for survival every day."

If approved Nov. 7, the proposal would raise around $30 million a year. By supporters' calculations, that would translate into an extra cost to the average family of $40 a year.

Most of the money would go to city and county ventures such as the Rio Grande Zoo, the Albuquerque Museum and public libraries. Other money would be divided between certain types of organizations, which would then have to apply for the money.

Cultural nonprofits would get a chunk, as would organizations affiliated with state or federal governments - Lodestar, for instance, is a project of the University of New Mexico.

The center operates with six full-time employees and 15 UNM student workers. An aggressive school outreach program would take two more full-time employees.

Chavez said that $40 in taxes would buy educational opportunities for all.

Because organizations would have to spend the money on operations instead of buildings, expect more opportunities for school groups or the public to attend cultural events for free. The library might expand hours into the evening.

At Lodestar, if the center successfully applied for and won funding, that could mean a newly active life for the inflatable planetarium, as well as more open doors for large groups of school kids, Beining said.

More money could also make for a more sustainable arts and cultural community in the long run, Chavez said. With a financial shot in the arm, groups could focus more on marketing, bringing in more attendees and donors, and thus increase their overall support base.

Lodestar has a project of that sort on the drawing board, too. Every month, Jonathan Wolfe presents a multimedia show on fractals, mind-blowing mathematical shapes that look the same even when super magnified. The shows pack the house, Beining said, but only break even.

With a little infusion of cash, the center might have the resources to record the show and sell it to other science museums around the country, thus freeing up cash to increase programming in other areas.

Critics

While the "quality of life" initiative has its share of enthusiastic proponents, two high-profile critics have emerged in recent weeks, with arguments centering on the level of tax and the necessity of the program in general.

Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez waited until after the Albuquerque Public Schools' successful bond election last month to come out against the proposal.

"It's just too much tax," he said recently, expressing a worry that the initiative would hurt the economy and lower-income people. Regarding current arts funding, he said, "we're doing fine."

Proponents partially reject the economic argument, saying that a better arts scene could bring in more tourist-related tax revenue and that, in any case, the benefits gained from the extra money would be a good bargain.

The mayor's point, though, was echoed by the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce.

"Anytime you see prices go up, people have to re-look at how they spend," said Lonnie Talbert, who leads the chamber's board of directors. "People start to get a little nervous about that."

Talbert also criticized the structure of the initiative, saying that the city would be under-represented on the board that divides the money. Despite the recent APS bond election, Talbert said education needs more attention and more money.

"I think it comes down to priorities," he said.