Donors to the Mancos Creative District can now receive tax credits alongside their generous support for the arts, with charitable funds going toward the Mancos Opera House, thanks to a new designation from the State Economic Development Commission.
The Mancos Creative District is now an Enterprise Zone Contribution Project through the commission’s stamp of approval. Specifically, donors who give $250 or more claim a 25% state tax credit. Donations that don’t come in the form of money, but rather goods or volunteered labor, can bring the contributor a 12.5% state tax credit.
Moreover, the new tax credits are on top of preexisting 501(c)(3) tax deductions already in place for the creative district.
With plans to purchase and refurbish the Mancos Opera House, the money will be essential for the creative district. Over the course of five years, the district plans to transform the building into a new central hub for the community.
"By offering these tax incentives, we have the opportunity to attract contributions, leverage grant funding that requires matching funds and raise the $5.4 million needed to fully revitalize and sustain the Mancos Opera House as a hub for arts, education and community activities of all kinds," Chelsea Lunders, executive director of the Mancos Creative District said.
About $5.4 million will be needed to bring the plans behind the opera house to fruition, but in doing so, old will meet new. Plans for the building will ensure that the historical integrity of the opera house remains.
“It is an honor to be able to support the future of this historic building and our whole community,” Lunders said.
Linda and Philip Walters are the current owners, but the couple are working alongside the district to plan for the opera house’s future.
Originally, they purchased the property in 2017 from the VFW for $195,000, the couple told The Journal in January, putting time and effort into fixing up the place themselves.
Eventually, they approached the creative district to gauge interest in buying the property. After careful consideration, the district agreed to take on the building.
“I’ll say ‘she’ because I’ve worked with the building long enough that to me, she’s a she. She needs to be a community asset,” said Phillip Walters.
“And to be a community hub, it needs a staff of more than two,” said Linda Walters.
At this time, there are 27 designated Enterprise Zone projects in Southwest Colorado. A list of those projects and their details can be found online at www.region9edd.org. More information about the opera house project can be found online at www.mancoscreativedistrict.com.
Cameryn Cass and Bailey Duran of The Journal contributed to this article.
